“Outlander”'s Graham McTavish Says New Film About Montana Rancher 'Is About Tolerance and Acceptance' (Exclusive)

The Scottish actor appears in the new independent film 'Somewhere in Montana' and the upcoming Starz series 'Spartacus: House of Ashur'

Graham McTavish isn't unfamiliar with expansive vistas.

The landscape in Big Sky, Montana, was reminiscent of his homeland in Scotland, he says. "I'd never been there before; it's a truly beautiful place," he tells . "It was just breathtaking."

In the movie, written and directed by Brandon Smith, McTavish plays John Alexander, a rugged cattle rancher from Montana, who must rent his property to a movie production to avoid financial disaster. As the owner, a conservative character, he conflicts with the more progressive director, Matt Drago, and they have to figure out how to work together.

I truly enjoyed the story, it really stood out to me. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and how unique they are as individuals," the actor reveals. "They embody opposite traits, and I believe it's a topic worthy of exploring.

John "doesn't have anything to prove to anybody," McTavish says. "The way he carries himself, with a no-nonsense attitude, is similar to my dad - he tells you like it is. And it's not that they're unaffected by fear, they just feel very confident in who they are. I found him to be such a great character. I really enjoyed him."

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. "It's so strange. When we started that show, we really had no idea that it would be so popular," he says. "But there is truly not a day that goes by where it doesn't touch my life in some way. Somebody coming up to me or somebody asking me a question, it comes up a lot. And I'm very proud of it. I loved going back to be Dougal."

He's really a good guy, actually. He's a genuine person. He's honest and dedicated," McTavish says about the character. "So he's not deceitful and cunning and all that kind of thing, but he's not afraid of a fight. Yes, he gets involved in a few scuffles, but it was a lot of fun.

Plus, "I had a long-haired wig," he says, laughing. "I'm constantly tossing my head. They had to tell me to stop it."

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In August 2023, he released a bourbon in honor of his daughters.

I was really pleased, I guess it sold out completely. I'm gradually trying to expand our retail operation, but we don't want to overextend ourselves, since getting into this has been a very steep learning process for me. However, I have a fantastic team that works with me and they're actually very skilled at this sort of thing.

The player wished to add a fun twist to his bourbon drinking game, saying: "For every character that my character kills, you have to drink," as he joked. "Some episodes will be more challenging than others."

Debuting this fall on Starz.

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