Several Outlander stars have joined forces for a new venture. Steven Cree, who played Old Ian Murray, Duncan Lacroix, known for his role as Murtagh Fitzgibbons, and Claire Sermonne, who portrayed Louise de Rohan, have all featured in the latest music video from fellow Outlander actor Andrew Gower’s band Gustaffson.

The Outlander alumni, along with a host of other celebrities including Line of Duty’s Leanne Best, David Gyasi of The Diplomat, and Arty Froushan from Carnival Row, have all shared their previously unseen audition self-tapes, which are showcased in the music video for Gustaffson’s new single Closer from their debut album Black and White Movie. In a fleeting moment, clips from the various stars are mixed with footage of Gustaffson performing Closer on stage at Manchester’s Albert Hall.

Express.co.uk had an exclusive chat with Gustaffson frontman and Outlander’s Bonnie Prince Charlie actor Gower, who shed light on how this exciting collaboration came to be.

“The nice thing is some of those Outlander actors haven’t been in scenes together, so they can say they’ve been in scenes together now. It’s been wonderful. Again, another job Outlander – that community, that cast, regardless of being in scenes or episodes together, we managed to stay in touch. Duncan and Steven were two of the first people to send their stuff over. It was so wonderful to have them in it and so nice to see them out of their Outlander costumes as well,” he said.

Gower, known for his roles in Black Mirror, Carnival Row and Channel 5’s detective drama Ellis, has maintained connections with many of his Outlander co-stars through fan conventions.

“There’s a lovely demand for us to talk about past seasons and obviously with the show coming to an end, the demand, and looking back at the past seasons is becoming more poignant.”

The actor expressed his gratitude for having worked with the Outlander cast and expressed interest in future collaborations. Regarding the possibility of Sam Heughan or Caitríona Balfe appearing in a Gustaffson music video, Gower stated that the “door would always be open” to them.

While Heughan doesn’t feature in the video, Gower disclosed that the Jamie Fraser star’s Sassenach Spirits drinks line is sponsoring the band’s upcoming sold-out concert at Bush Hall, where attendees will receive a cocktail inspired by the Black and White Movie album.

“Sam has been so amazing, just the type of person he is,” Gower praised. The actor described it as “really special” and credited it to Sam, adding: “It really again shows the power of Sam and Cait and the cast supporting other people’s art. Such a special night and makes the Black and White Movie theme even more poignant for us when we go to Bush Hall.”

But the Outlander ties don’t stop there, as the show’s composer Bear McCreary even collaborated on the single Flowers which was released last year.

The single Closer was born out of video calls between Gower and bandmate James ‘Webbo’ Webster, discussing Gustaffson. The actor felt a “need for face-to-face collaboration to make art”.

The COVID pandemic led to an increase in self-tape auditions due to lockdown restrictions. This meant actors had to film scenes for potential jobs at home, making the process more isolating.

Gower reached out to “everybody I’ve admired for years” in the acting industry, some he’d worked with before, asking them to share self-tapes they believed were “never seen” or “something they were proud of”.

Despite these videos potentially having “fallen between the cracks in the acting industry”, Gower said they would “live on” in the music video.

The track Closer also features national treasure Sir Ben Kingsley, who delivers an inspiring speech about artists finding their own “tribe” and the power of self-belief.

“That got me through drama school,” Gower admitted, adding: “I’ve admired Sir Ben for years, his work obviously from Sexy Beast to everything else.”

Black and White promises a “cinematic experience” with each song acting as its own mini-movie. Its accompanying music videos blend different mediums and feature familiar faces, including Daniel Ings from The Crown and The Gentleman, Sharon D. Clarke from Gower’s Ellis, Matthew McNulty of Deadwater Fell, and Black Mirror’s Kiran Sonia Sawar.

Gustaffson was born during the pandemic, releasing their debut EP, The Jacaranda, in 2022. The band’s name is inspired by Gower’s Swedish great-grandmother, Louisa Gustaffson, who he sings about in Some Kind of Sweden, embodying kindness.

With a continuous stream of writing, Gower already has plans for a follow-up. Meanwhile, he’s booked for various acting projects, including the short film Blessed Are They That Fear the Lord, according to IMDb.

On balancing his passions, Gower said: “I like to think the music and the acting will continue to complement each other.”

Looking ahead to his artistic ambitions, Gower stated: “One of my big aims and one of Gustaffson’s big aims is to write for TV and to definitely create a drama or a film that combines both of them. That’s where I want to end up.”