OUTLANDER STAR NICELY FLIES FLAG FOR SCOTLAND
Scots heartthrob on returning to Fraser’s Ridge for hit show and how Men in Kilts allows him to explore the country he loves
NOT since Sean Connery has an actor flown the flag as much for Scotland around the world.
As well as starring in one of the biggest shows, Outlander, which films in Scotland – Sam Heughan showed off just what a country we live in with TV series Men in Kilts.
And now he’s launched his own whisky, Sassenach.
Sam, 41, explained his love of his country: “I really wanted to share a lot of the places and the things I enjoy so that’s how Men in Kilts came about.
“There’s a whole side to Scotland we haven’t even explored but we did at least get to go to some of the islands.
“One of my favourite things to do is go on a ferry to the islands. There’s just something really magical about it. You feel like you are exploring and going somewhere very old world.”
While his roadtrip with fellow Outlander Scot Graham McTavish has been shown around the world this year, Sam also finished filming the sixth series of Outlander in June.
It took longer to film this series because of the Covid pandemic. Fans dubbed it “droughtlander” as there have been no new episodes since the series five finale in May 2020.
The sixth series had been due to start filming in the spring 2020 but the pandemic pushed shooting back to October 2020, only to be delayed again until February this year.
Sam, from Balmaclellan in Dumfries and Galloway admitted the latest series – filmed during a Scottish winter – was the hardest since he took on the role of Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in 2013 opposite time traveller Claire Randall, played by Caitriona Balfe.
He said: “This season is actually the shortest we have done. It’s only eight episodes but it was one of the hardest because we were shooting during a pandemic.
“There were a lot of factors involved that made it pretty difficult because of Covid and all of the protocols.”
Outlander is mainly filmed at the Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld, which have gone from “a dusty warehouse to five full sound stages”.
The outdoor scenes are filmed around Scotland.
Sam said: “We shot in Glencoe when there was still snow up there on the mountains. There’s midges, of course, but it was stunning. It felt very much Outlander. I love the West Coast of Scotland. The islands are the most magical part.”
Outlander is full of intense drama and some harrowing scenes, including Jamie’s rape in series one and Claire’s gang rape at the end of the last series. Sam admitted it sometimes takes time to decompress. He said: “The end of each season is a transitional moment and sometimes it’s very hard to switch off.
“For the first few days after shooting and completing a season of Outlander, you are still on this hamster wheel. Then it suddenly dawns on me that I’m done.”
While Sam showed why he should be following Connery by becoming Scotland’s second Bond in SAS: Red Notice, he’s keeping busy.
In January, he’s filming adventure epic Everest with Ewan McGregor and Mark Strong, inspired by Jeffrey Archer’s novel Paths of Glory. Set in 1921, the film centres on the real-life George Mallory (McGregor), who is picked by Arthur Hinks (Strong) of the Royal Geographic Society to scale the previously unconquerable Mount Everest. Sam will play George Finch, Mallory’s nemesis who, despite being an outsider among his fellow climbers, shares their obsession with conquering Everest.
Sam has also been signed up for Suspect, a Channel 4 crime thriller with James Nesbitt, Richard E Grant and Joely Richardson.
Outlander fans were also happy to hear series seven will film in Scotland again next year.
Let’s hope Sam will remember Jamie’s accent.
Recently, when doing an audiobook for his and Graham’s latest book The Clanlands Almanac; Seasonal Stories from Scotland – which follows their bestseller Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other – he forgot and had to ask how it went.
He said: “I had forgotten. I was like, ‘I can’t remember how to do Jamie. If anyone can remind me, that would be great!’
“But generally, after you have been back on set for half a day, it’s like you never went away. Once you put on the clothes and you’re back with everyone, it feels like wearing an old glove or... an old ginger wig. You just slip back into it.”
Sam was at New York Comic Con and told us what to expect on Outlander, which is based on the books of author Diana Gabaldon. For a start, the first episode is going to be extended to deal with the fall-out of Claire’s assault. The drama centres on Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina, which is the home of Jamie, his extended family and over 60 tennant families.
Sam said: “This season in particular, you get to see the family and discover more about each character and their relationship with one another.
“Jamie and Claire have spent a lot of time building this community and I think this is the season where we really see that disintegrate.
“Jamie went to save Claire but she hasn’t gotten over that trauma. I think Jamie is very aware of it and he is keeping an eye on her but these cracks are really starting to show, not only for Jamie and Claire but for the rest of the inhabitants of Fraser’s Ridge.
“The war is coming. It always seems to be coming, but it really is coming now.” While the characters will be dealing with the American Revolution, Jamie will also see the arrival of old nemesis Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones) and his family. The actor joked that he wished Jamie wasn’t so nice. He said: “I would love him to be like, ‘Everyone’s welcome on the Ridge, except for you’. Unfortunately, Jamie is a man of his word and has invited these people from Ardsmuir, Scotsmen, to settle. He has to work hard to integrate them into this new way of life.” Outlander has made Sam a global star with a fanatical following who this week attacked Bafta Scotland for leaving him out of the 2021 nominations. Sam, meanwhile, can’t believe he is still playing Jamie after eight years. He said: “I just remember reading for the first time and it feeling like I knew this character, probably because of Diana Gabaldon’s fantastic writing. “But what is so amazing about Outlander is that it’s constantly changing. Jamie was a young Highlander and now he is in a different situation in North America. “He’s such a great character to play.” Outlander series six will broadcast in 2022 on Starz.
There were a lot of factors that made shooting pretty difficult
ON FILMING SERIES SIX OF OUTLANDER DURING PANDEMIC