Q UICKFIRE

Outlander star Sam Heughan on embarrassing selfies and his red-carpet kilt

with actor Sam Heughan

Guilty pleasure? A lazy weekend in bed watching box sets, especially anything American and sci-fi. I recently got through Netflix’s Stranger Things. Where is home? Wherever my suitcase is, because I’m away so much for filming. I had a home in London for 12 years and now have a place in Scotland, which is where I’m from. Career plan B? I’m really into sport, so perhaps a professional sportsman. Who would play you in a movie of your life? Sean Connery. Biggest bugbear? People littering the natural environment. Hiking is a great passion of mine and I find myself picking up empty bottles. As a child you wanted to be… A magician. Earliest memory? Playing in the grounds of a ruined castle in Balmaclellan, Southwest Scotland. We lived in converted stables on the estate. Secret to a happy relationship? As I travel so much, I would say that being on the same continent certainly helps. Your best quality? Stubbornness – you’ve got to be pretty strong-willed in my business. And your worst? The same. Being stubborn doesn’t always help. Last meal on earth? I wholly promote the omelette as a meal whatever the occasion, especially your last one. Dream dinner–party guests? Elon Musk, who is fascinating and inspiring, the tennis player Martina Hingis, who I was obsessed with as a youngster, Michelle Obama and the astronaut Tim Peake. Advice to teenage self? Just relax. Cat or dog? I’m wholeheartedly a cat person, although it’s not practical for me to have one at the moment. When I was growing up, we had cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, chickens – a whole menagerie. What do you see when you look in the mirror? I spend so much time in front of mirrors as part of my job that I try to avoid them outside work. Starstruck moment? Meeting Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton on a flight to Los Angeles last year. I was very embarrassing and asked him for a selfie. Big break? Appearing in a play called Outlying Islands at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2002, my first job after leaving drama school. Career highlight? The 2014 New York premiere of the first season of Outlander, my biggest role so far. Most embarrassing moment? Being on stage at the premiere in a kilt and giving the front row a sneak peak. Favourite tipple? Single malt whiskies from Islay. Hangover cure? Hair of the dog. Top of your bucket list? To go to base camp on Mount Everest and go hiking in Nepal or Tibet. Secret skill I can juggle pretty well – with balls, clubs and, if pushed, knives. Philosophy? Trust your gut instinct. Last film that made you cry? The Light Between Oceans, which is extremely moving and well-acted. Most extravagant purchase? Taking a flight to Thailand for Christmas on impulse two years ago. Biggest regret? Not playing rugby for Scotland. Biggest fear? Getting the sack. Celebrity crush? Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters. Happiness is… Climbing a Munro [a Scottish mountain over 3,000ft].

Sam is a global brand ambassador for Barbour. Catch up with Outlander on Thursdays at 9pm on More4