Outlander fans would find it difficult picturing anyone but John Bell portraying Jamie Fraser’s nephew Young Ian.
In the Starz and MGM+ hit series Outlander, which features time-travelling adventures, John Bell as Young Ian has faced numerous obstacles.
From coping with his father’s death to integrating into the Mohawk tribe, Young Ian’s journey is one riddled with trials.
Upon being sent away from the tribe, he struggled with returning to live with the Frasers, though over time, he found his way to belonging with his family again.
John Bell, who joined the cast of Outlander during its third season, has had a thriving career with roles in projects such as Tracy Beaker Returns, The Hobbit, and T2 Trainspotting.
Yet, just before the young actor, at 26 years old, snagged his Outlander gig, he was contemplating a complete withdrawal from the acting world.
In a conversation with Flip Your Wig, Bell shared: “I’ve been in acting since I was eight so I’ve done a lot of big things that have had huge impacts.”
“But there was a moment in my career when I was about 16,17, when you’re trying to make that transition from a child to an adult actor, that I wasn’t getting any work.”
“I thought I was going to have to give everything up.”
“I was ready to go to university and do something else so Outlander came about two, three weeks before I was supposed to start university and I got the audition and I got it.”
“So it really did send me on a completely different path, gave me that kind of support and belief in myself that I wanted, that I was looking for”, he added.
“[It] has provided a character that has allowed me to grow and flourish with it, so on a huge scale, it has changed my life and I’m so grateful.”
According to his IMDb page, Bell is also working on another project titled The Man In The Box, a drama currently in production, featuring After actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
