investigative journalism

Associate editor Sarah chatted up Outlander’s Sam Heughan for “Hot 50” Insert heart-eyes emoji.

In real life, Sam Heughan is nothing like Jamie, the kilt-wearing, sword-swinging character he plays on our favourite time

travelling-bodice-ripper-with-a-brain, Outlander. For starters, the 35-year-old Scot is a gentle-mannered blond who had to have his hair dyed seven times to get it the exact right shade of ginger (likened to a “deer’s pelt” in the novels on which the hit show is based) for Jamie’s signature locks. “When I saw myself as a redhead for the first time, it was a special moment,” says Heughan. “It’s part of finding the character, when you see yourself and go ‘Oh, that’s what he looks like!’” And while Jamie is a swashbuckling hero for the ages, Heughan has had less luck with grand romantic gestures: “One Valentine’s Day when I was a teenager, I waited outside the door of someone I was pursuing with flowers and wine, and they didn’t turn up. I got a phone call the next day saying I should leave that person alone and not stalk them.” What characteristics do Heughan and Jamie share? “What is inspiring on the show is that men are trying to be truer to their word than they are now,” says Heughan. “I certainly believe that if a man gives

his word, that’s it—that’s honour.”