Why Outlander Had to Recast Jenny and What Happened to Laura Donnelly?

Even though Starz's Outlander is one of the most popular fantasy shows on the air right now, most of the actors who star in it clearly want to leave as soon as possible, as spending so much time filming the show not only affects their careers, as they are forced to turn down a lot of offers due to the strict schedules, but also their personal lives. And while it's obvious that Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan can't leave the show until it's officially over, other supporting actors have actually been able to move on with their careers.

We are, of course, talking about Laura Donnelly, who played Jamie's older sister Jenny Murray in the first three seasons of the show. Although many fans loved Donnelly, she left the show before Season 4, and it looks like she has no intention of returning to the cast.

The new face

As the first part of Season 7 ended with Jamie and Claire finally seeing the shores of Scotland after decades of living in America, fans were sure that some of the fan favorites from the early seasons of the saga would return for the second part. And while fans were right that Jenny will be reunited with her brother, she won't look the same, as actress Kristen Atherton has been cast as the new Jenny.

Yes, Donnelly decided not to return to the show as her post-Outlander career is thriving – she won an Olivier Award for her work in theater, became the lead in HBO's The Nevers and joined the MCU as Elsa Bloodstone, which prevented her from wasting time playing the supporting character in Outlander.

Moreover, it looks like the show's toxic fandom really played a big role in Donnely's refusal to return as Jenny.

'People online bullied her when she first appeared. The book readers were especially fierce during the first season of the show. It was bad. Really, really bad. Nobody was perfect in their roles; Jaime was "too skinny", Claire "too tall", Jenny "not right at all",' a fan said.

Source: Reddit.