I was surviving on one bowl of porridge a day. Bailiffs were at my door. I was really struggling to survive... then Outlander came knocking
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IT is a decade since Sam Heughan, then a jobbing actor and part-time barman, found himself on bus after bus, despondently travelling around the US trying to find work. Having turned his back on his North London bedsit, with the bailiffs knocking on the door, and often surviving on one bowl of porridge a day, he decided he had nothing to lose after catching a brief glimpse of what stardom might be like – when he unsuccessfully auditioned for the lead role in the sci-fi blockbuster Tron: Legacy.
Soon, however, he would find himself back in the UK and on the dole, questioning if he should continue acting – until Outlander, a new series which would go on to become a global success, came to his rescue.
Today, in a remarkable turnaround which has seen the Scots actor rocket from obscurity to become a household name, he is thankful for second chances.
And with the premiere of the sixth series of the time-travelling fantasy drama due in March, and casting for the seventh already under way, he says: ‘I don’t want to play the violin here, but I definitely struggled a lot as an actor. I really was considering a change of career when Outlander came knocking.
‘It’s probably pig-headedness, stupidity, stubbornness and drive that kept me going in the dark moments. And it was like, I don’t want to do anything else. I want to do this.’
Stupidity, stubbornness and drive kept me going in dark moments
The show, based on the best-selling books by US author Diana Gabaldon, charts the adventures of a former Second World War combat nurse, Claire Randall, played by Irish actress Catriona Balfe, who is transported back in time to 1743 where she meets Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, who is played by Heughan.
With its heady mix of historical romance and swashbuckling action spanning 200 years, the show has become such a runaway hit since the first series aired in 2014 that it has arguably done more to boost Scotland’s tourism industry than many official advertising campaigns.
The phenomenon – known as the ‘Outlander effect’ – prompted academics to conduct a research study two years ago into the show’s impact on 25 of Scotland’s heritage sites.
Its worldwide fan base has also helped popularise the term ‘set-jetting’ – in which visitors fly in from all over the world to see first-hand the iconic locations popping up on their screens.
Recalling the moment in 2013 when he heard he had won the role of Fraser, Heughan laughs: ‘I was in a grocery store in London and I had a whole bag of shopping and my agent called me and said I’d finally got the job.
‘I think I dropped the bag and was screaming at the top of my voice. I think I swore a lot as well.’
After 12 years of ‘failing’ at auditions, he had finally found a regular job doing what he loved best.
He added: ‘Travelling around America by bus gave me a lot of time to reflect.
‘I was trying different ways to survive. At one point, I was living in North London in a bedsit. It was a pretty rough area and I really had no money. I think I’d been very ill and I was living on one bowl of porridge a day.’
It was around this time that Heughan won an audition for Tron: Legacy, the 2010 sequel to the 1982 hit Tron, starring Jeff Bridges, and was flown to Los Angeles, put up in a luxury hotel and shown a contract ‘with lots of zeros’.
Crushingly, he did not get the part and had to return to his old existence in London.
He said: ‘I had highs and real lows, with bailiffs at the door, but I think it grounded me. I think if I’d had success at an early age, I would have been a complete mess.
‘I look back on the jobs that I could have had that I got close on, and I’m like, God, I wish I’d gotten that one or I wish that had happened.
‘But, actually, I wouldn’t be where I am now having carved out this particular career. So, do I regret anything? I don’t think so. I think you have to let it go.’
Now 41, the actor, who was born and raised in a home that stood in the grounds of Kenmure Castle, near Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbrightshire, before moving to Edinburgh at the age of 14, is busier than he has ever been.
He starred in the 2018 Hollywood movie The Spy Who Dumped Me, along with Justin Theroux and Mila Kunis, and was the lead in last year’s action-packed drama series
If I’d had success at an early age, I would have been a mess
on Sky, SAS: Red Notice, based on the best-selling novel by former soldier Andy McNab. He is also one of the bookies’ enduring favourites for the part recently vacated by Daniel Craig – 007 in the James Bond movie franchise.
But modest Heughan, who away from acting spends much of his time on charity work as well as promoting his own whisky brand, Sassenach, says: ‘I think it’s important to dream, isn’t it?
That one in particular is one of many that you would die for.
‘I think there’s an infinite number of amazing roles out there but it’s sort of not just about acting for me now. I have a lot of other projects and things on the go, including being an entrepreneur, and I am finding a lot of satisfaction from that.’
Those other projects include an Outlander spin-off book and show, Men In Kilts, which stars Heughan and his Scots co-star Graham McTavish, who played his Highland warrior uncle in the series.
The success of Outlander – for the Scottish film industry as well as tourism – has been instrumental in the development of studio facilities in Bathgate, West Lothian, as well as in Leith, Edinburgh, and Glasgow in recent years.
Three months ago, the main site where the show is based, Wardpark Film Studios at Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire – which has 200,000 square feet of studio space, including five sound stages, external green screen and workshops – was bought over by a US consortium, Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management, who already invest in 65 studios in six countries.
And it seems that Outlander – which is watched by an average of 5.7 million people per episode – has lost none of its old magic despite the Covid-19 pandemic forcing the temporary closure of many heritage sites.
Tour operators, a number of whom set up specialist Outlander packages in the wake of its success, as well as leading industry figures, say the tide of lockdowns across the world and growing demand for binge-worthy TV shows over the past two years has prompted renewed interest in visiting Scotland.
Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager at VisitScotland, says: ‘We can’t wait for Outlander to be back on our screens in March. Outlander has had a huge impact on Scottish tourism, especially from visitors in Europe and the USA.
‘It has inspired many to travel to Scotland, which is seen in the large rise in visitor numbers at filming locations prior to the pandemic.’
She added: ‘We know the show continues to influence travel, as interest in Outlander-related pages on our consumer website peaks during the broadcast of each new season.
‘Also, screen tourism is a longterm trend, therefore viewers can be inspired to travel to filming destinations long after the film or television show’s release.’
Dozens of the country’s most picturesque locations have also become stars, including Doune Castle in Perthshire, which plays Castle Leoch, home to the Mackenzie clan in the first and second series. It saw a remarkable 600 per cent increase in visitor numbers pre-pandemic.
Meanwhile, at Glencorse Old Kirk, near Penicuik, Midlothian, the setting for Claire and Jamie tying the knot in the first series, there have been numerous Outlander-themed wedding ceremonies by fans who have been keen to tap into the romance engendered by the show.
Other sites include Drummond Castle Gardens, near Crieff, Perthshire (which stood in for the ornate gardens of the Palace of Versailles), Glasgow Cathedral crypt (a Parisian convent hospital) and
Hopetoun House and estate, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, which has been the setting for numerous sword fights and duels, together with its smaller neighbour, Midhope Castle (which stars as the Fraser family seat, Lallybroch).
Yesterday, Emma Chalmers, a founder of Linlithgow-based company Mary’s Meanders in West Lothian, whose Outlanderthemed tours range from a one-day ‘classic’ to a five-day ‘immersion’ experience, said: ‘The Outlander effect had been growing year on year and at the start of 2020 we had a full diary of Outlander
We can’t wait for it to be back on our screens in March
The series has had a huge impact on Scottish tourism
tours booked, as did our industry peers.
‘While our guests were sad to miss their trip, we brought Scotland to them through our virtual tours, podcasts and social media posts.
‘Due to lockdown, a whole new audience found Outlander. In the past ten days we have seen a significant increase in social media chat and booking enquiries so it appears that the Outlander effect is here to stay.’
The continuing appeal of Outlander has led to researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University studying the ‘Outlander effect’ on 25 of the show’s locations.
After examining figures over a four-year period, they noted a 45 per cent rise in visitors, ‘well in excess’ of increases experienced at other tourism sites in Scotland.
Now, with talk of the upcoming season, VisitScotland says it has witnessed a 42 per cent rise on its designated section for Outlanderrelated content over the last few weeks.
This includes a 26 per cent increase in the number of users, and 29 per cent rise in new users accessing Outlander content. Fans of the show even have a phrase for the periods between each series – they call it ‘Droughtlander’.
Proud of his homeland, Heughan takes a great deal of satisfaction from the fact that the show has had such a positive impact on Scotland. But he admits that the high expectations on set, as well as from fans for each new series, can bring its own pressures.
He said: ‘Sometimes I try to imagine I am that guy that’s, you know, the gaffer or whoever is putting the lights up and thinking about his next cup of tea. I try to think that it’s just another day in the office.
‘If you start to think about what could go wrong, it’s going to go wrong. You just have to go “Okay, I hope that everything is fine” and just go for it.’
With his personal popularity sky-rocketing and fan frenzy building as the current Droughtlander comes to an end, it seems that Heughan has very little to worry about.