Outlander
Actor Gary Young has been cast to play Mr Willoughby in "Outlander" season 3. Twitter/Outlander

Two new actors have joined the popular Starz TV series in “Outlander” season 3. Fans of the franchise who have read the book “Voyager” already know what to expect. The official character descriptions reveal all the quirky little details of the two characters that viewers will see when the show returns.

The first casting announcement is that of the character Mr Willoughby. Actor Gary Young has been confirmed to play this new role. From the book series by Diana Gabaldon the name of the Chinese character is Yi Tien Cho, who is renamed by Jamie (Sam Heughan).

In the book series, Mr Willoughby is a scholar living in exile. According to the official character description posted on EOnline, the Chinese man is a talented poet living in exile. He is very knowledgeable about Eastern medicine, speaks good English, but hides it when the situation calls for it. He has a deep “love” for women, which the book fans will be well aware of.

Willoughby feels like he is an outsider in his life of exile. His challenges are much more than what Claire (Caitriona Balfe) faced when she first arrived in 1740s Scotland. The Chinese man will become a confidante of Jamie in “Outlander” season 3.

The next casting announcement is Charlie Hiett playing the role of Captain Thomas Leonard. The character is an “inexperienced” captain of the ship Artemis. This is the ship Jamie and Claire will travel on in the next season.

Thomas likes to do things by the book. The young navy officer was promoted through the ranks very quickly, and he didn’t expect that he would be at the helm of a man-of-war ship this early. Most importantly, he wants to do things based on what is right by the British Navy despite his misgivings.

Some of the other new cast members this year are Hannah James (Geneva), Tanya Reynolds (Isobel), John Bell (Young Ian Murray), Wil Johnson (Joe Abernathy), adult Fergus (César Domboy) and David Berry (Lord John William Grey). All the major characters of this year have now been cast.

Filming of “Outlander” season 3 has been ongoing in Scotland for some time now. The cast and crew will reportedly shift to South Africa in March to film scenes related to the ship voyage and the Caribbean scenes. The show is expected to premiere sometime this year, but the producers are yet to announce an exact release date.

Credit: Twitter/ Outlander