For the talented French actor Romann Berrux, family means everything, and these days his extended family of fans spans the globe. Through his portrayal of Fergus Fraser in the critically acclaimed Starz series “Outlander,” Berrux quickly became a fan favorite who stole the hearts of audiences across the world with his performance as a young pickpocket.

Based on the “Outlander” series of books by Diana Gabaldon, “Outlander” stars BAFTA award winner Caitriona Balfe (“Escape Plan”) and People’s Choice Award winner Sam Heughan (“A Princess for Christmas”), telling the story of a married combat nurse from 1945 who’s mysteriously swept back in time to Scotland in 1743.

Out of all the genres, period pieces are often dubbed the most challenging for an actor due to the multitude of nuances that actors must bring to their characters in order to help transport the audience to another place and time– for Berrux, it meant having to adapt his way of acting to the 18th century.

Discussing how he confronted this challenge, Berrux explains, “I really worked on pronunciation so that I could be as clear as possible, so I didn’t sound like someone from the 21st century. Also, the outfits and the atmosphere was really different. I was so into it that I sometimes forgot that we were actually in the 21st century.”

That dedication and preparation paid off, culminating in an epic recurring performance on Berrux’s part, one that led audiences to fall in love with his character every time he appeared on-screen. Over the course of Seasons 2 and 3, Berrux was a main character, starring in some of the show’s most talked about episodes, including one where his character Fergus’ loyalty is put to the test.

In Episode 2 of Season 3, ‘Surrender,’ we find Jamie (Heughan) living in the forest hiding from the English soldiers who desperately want to catch and imprison him. Following Fergus into the forest in hopes of finding Jamie, the soldiers begin to close in on the show’s valiant hero, but before they can capture him Fergus jumps in the way, risking his life to save Jamie, and losing his hand as a result. It was a pivotal episode for the show and it was one that Berrux personally loved shooting.

“I loved shooting this episode, it was so tense, and I was nervous but I dedicated all my heart to this episode because I really wanted to be as good as possible for the upcoming scene where I would lose my hand,” said Berrux. “I tried to figure out a way of feeling pain through my character. It was so nice to see people’s reactions when they saw the episode and all the heartwarming messages I received when it aired.”

As the Starz hit series grew in popularity, so did Berrux’s international fan club. Berrux, who was already widely known in France for his role as Hugo Roche in the comedy-drama series “Detectives,” became an even bigger international sensation through his starring role in “Outlander,” with his performances capturing the attention of other major film and television productions.

“Performing is the best moment for an actor, it’s the achievement of long hours of work and rehearsals,” said Berrux. “It’s the only moment where I can be someone else, totally different from my personality and that’s what I love the most.”

The passion for performing started at a young age for Romann Berrux, who was street cast at the age of 5 to take on his first film role in the popular French movie “Le coeur des hommes 2.” Since that first seemingly destined role, Berrux went on to play numerous other leading roles in films and series such as “Miroir, mon beau miroir” and TV series including “Joséphine, ange gardien,” “Brigade Navarro,” “Medical Emergency,” “Detectives,” and most recently “Huguette.”

“I think the most important thing is to love the character and the role. I have always been able to choose my roles since I live with my parents and I am not forced to do roles for money,” explains Berrux. “Acting has always been a passion for me and not something related to money. I choose each role for the love of acting and for the love of the story. I hope to always be able to continue like that. Loving the role and character helps make my job easier because I think about the character all the time and I become it.”

Berrux’s performances and the overall success of his television work led him to be cast in the key recurring role of Damien Forrest in the popular television series, “The Inside Game,” created by Academy Award-winning director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and Antoine Lacomblez.

Though he has accrued an incredible level of success to date, Berrux admits that his career path was “very random.” But to fans around the world and the productions he’s worked on, it is clear that he was destined for a career as an actor.

“Being a child actor might seem weird for some people but it really wasn’t and in my opinion it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I had the opportunity to spend weeks on shoots learning so much about human values, respect and maturity,” recalls Berrux. “I was spending most of my time with adults who considered me as an actor and not a child, which I think definitely changed me in a good way.”

While Berrux continued to attend school like a regular kid, he maintained a calm and humble focus, admitting that he never really discussed his work as an actor when he wasn’t on set.

“I felt like it wasn’t really necessary. I was raised in a simple manner, and besides, I know that all of this is not real life,” said Berrux. “I have a very close family and friends who are always there for me.”

In a way, working on the set of the “Outlander” series brought a similar sense of closeness for Berrux as he fell in love with the story, his cast and crew and found a unique bond with his character Fergus, who he found to be similar to himself.

“I would say that we are both very spontaneous, and we are both very loyal to the people we love,” admits Berrux.

Berrux said he woke up each morning with a smile on his face knowing he was working with a fantastic crew and spending time with cast mates that he became friends with, Heughan and Balfe, so it’s no wonder that he fell in love with the whole “Outlander” atmosphere and enjoyed being a part of the show.

Those friendships even found themselves on display on social media with co-star Sam Heughan, a People’s Choice Award winner and accomplished stage and screen actor best known for his roles “A Princess for Christmas” and “A Very British Sex Scandal,” cheekily teasing Berrux on Twitter. Balfe, a two-time winner of the People’s Choice Award and three-time Golden Globe nominee, also has joined in on the fun.

It was the scene where Fergus pickpockets Heughan’s character who then proceeds to chase him on the streets of Paris, which happened to have been shot on Berrux’s birthday. It also happened to be Berrux’s first night shoot and his first time learning stunts. All told it was a great day, or in his own words, “a purely awesome day and a good gift for my birthday!”

With more than a decade of acting credits to his name, Berrux continues to surprise and impress fans around the world with his brilliant work. You can currently catch Berrux in the lead role of Rémi in the recently released film “Huguette” from director Antoine Garceau (“Presque Adultes,” “Call My Agent”), which debuted on the Arte Channel in Europe on December 6.

The film follows Huguette, played by three-time Cesar Award nominated actress Line Renaud (“Let’s Dance,” “Monte Carlo”), a 78-year-old former school principal who nearly ends up homeless before her her neighbor Marion, offers her a deal– a roof in exchange for her help in preventing her teenage son Rémi (Berrux) from dropping out of school.

“This movie meant a lot to me as I have always been a fan of Line Renaud’s work and Antoine Garceau’s movies,” said Berrux.

Having been an actor for nearly his entire life, Romann Berrux possesses the kind of range on screen that most actors spend decades trying to hone. There’s no doubt that this talented Frenchman will continue to wow audiences around the world with his work for years to come.