Scary Sam Heughan nearly killed me as we shot fight scene on Outlander set
HIS starring role in the hit TV show Outlander has won him a legion of fans and a string of acting awards.
But according to one of his fellow actors, Sam Heughan’s performances can be a little too realistic.
One of his co-stars has told how, while filming a fight scene, he was nearly killed by the 40-year-old Scot.
During a dramatic shoot that came very close to going badly wrong, Heughan’s character throttles one of his enemies, Lieutenant Knox, played by English actor Michael Xavier.
And rather than simply pretend to cover his opponent’s nose and mouth, Heughan did it for real – leaving Xavier struggling to breathe and on the brink of losing consciousness. With the cameras rolling, Xavier fought to free himself and catch a breath before it was too late.
But Heughan, apparently thinking the other man’s struggle was part of the role, simply tightened his grip.
Xavier said: ‘It was a scary moment. I felt myself getting lightheaded and slipping away. I saw my life flashing before me.’
The scare happened during filming for the fifth and latest series of Outlander, the show based on the time-travelling fantasy novels of American author Diana Gabaldon.
Heughan – from Balmaclellan, Kirkudbrightshire – plays hero Jamie Fraser, an 18th Century soldier.
Xavier, 42, said: ‘Sam was brilliant but he actually had to kill me in the third episode and he almost killed me for real. We rehearsed the fight scene and planned it all, but when it came to the actual filming our adrenaline was pumping.
‘He banged my head against a wall then grabbed me from behind. We fell to the floor and I was struggling.
‘He was suffocating me with his hand – he had his hand over my mouth and also had his hand over my nose. He was pinching my nose and I couldn’t breathe. I started to panic.’
Xavier added: ‘The cameras were rolling and I was thinking, “This is going to look great but I am going to be dead in a minute”. So I grabbed his fingers and tried to peel them off me, but he is a strong guy.
‘He lifts weights and is really stacked and was really going for it.
‘It was method acting. I managed to peel his fingers enough to gasp a bit of air before someone shouted “cut”.’
Heughan is now being tipped to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond – and Xavier reckons he is perfect for the 007 role.
He said: ‘Sam would bring the charm with the muscle.’
‘Going to look great but I am going to be dead’