After landing the role of Highlander and Jacobite Jamie Fraser in Outlander, actor Sam Heughan was thrown into the spotlight. The role is his most well-known to date and led to appearances in Hollywood films including Bloodshot and The Spy Who Dumped Me.
Also, when resident 007 star Daniel Craig stepped down, Sam Heughan was placed at the top of the list of actors considered for the James Bond spot. But some fans may be curious as to how the actor came to play Jamie in the Starz series in the first place, let alone make a list for Bond consideration.
Here’s the shocking truth about Sam Heughan’s casting as the lead male star in Outlander.
Sam Heughan Before Outlander
Since joining the enormously famous show Outlander in 2014, Sam Heughan has amassed a huge fan base. But the Balmaclellan-born actor was no stranger to fame prior to the start of the TV series.
His early career was mostly focused on theatre, and he was even nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards for Most Promising Performers.
In 2004, Sam landed a role in Island at War, a period drama set during WWII about the German conquest of the Channel Islands. In all six episodes, he played Phillip Dorr.
Sam went on to star in several successful shows and films after Island at War, including the Scottish soap opera River City and the BAFTA-winning mini-series Any Human Heart.
He was also featured in several films and television shows including Midsomer Murders, Rebus, and A Very British Sex Scandal. His other roles included a range of interesting projects, including the saccharine festive film, A Princess for Christmas, Emulsion, Young Alexander the Great, and Heart of Lightness.
Then in 2013, Heughan was the first actor to be announced as a cast in the Starz and Amazon series Outlander. He was given the lead role as Jamie Fraser – which Outlander author Diana Gabaldon wholeheartedly approved.
She praised the decision stating, "That man is a Scot to the bone and Jamie Fraser to the heart." Before bagging the spot and becoming a household name, he had gone through an audition process.
Sam Heughan’s Audition For The Lead Role
Outlander fans couldn't fathom anyone else playing Jamie Fraser as Sam Heughan was an instant hit as the highlander. But, as popular as he is now, there was a time when Heughan was not the literary hero Diana Gabaldon envisioned, and she was adamant about him not playing Jamie onscreen.
Diana revealed in 2015 that Sam had to go through an audition process in order to get the role of Jamie, and he didn't exactly impress her at first.
She explained, “With Sam, he was the first person cast. They sent me his audition tape and they said, ‘we think we’ve found Jamie.’ This is four days after they started looking. I was amazed because we thought it would take six months.”
The author further added, “They said they were sending me the audition tapes, but I was on the road, so I googled him on my iPhone as we were driving. At this point he had relatively little film work and just a series of extremely bizarre still photos.”
She said that the photos attached to Sam’s IMDb page were not exactly flattering, which led her to send a message to showrunners, exclaiming “this man is grotesque, what are you thinking?”
Nonetheless, Diana came to believe that Sam was the right choice for the position, and she adds that the "grotesque" remark is now a running joke between the two. She is delighted with Sam's work in Outlander these days, and she has commented that she is "amazed" by his ability to truly inhabit the character.
Sam Heughan in Outlander
The hunk received the Outlander audition just as he was beginning to doubt his ability to earn a living as an actor. Sam says that his audition was an extremely quick process, which he called “pretty remarkable.”
Discussing his life in the TV series, he said, “I think it’s still got life in it and we love it, we love going to work. I have the best co-stars. We all talk about how intense it is and what hard work it is, and it is, but it’s also extremely rewarding, and it’s changed my life.”
Outlander Fans’ Reaction On Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser
Delighted fans flocked on social media to thank Sam Heughan for his hard work in bringing Jamie Fraser to life. He really caught everyone’s heart, not only because of his outside appearance and skills but also his dedication and attention to detail – and the fact that he has clearly read the books.
Fans surely couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role, but Sam and his partner, Caitriona Balfe as Claire!