I attended the world premiere screening of Outlander last night in San Diego, CA (at SDCC) and I just want to reassure anyone who might still be worrit about Sam being a convincing Jamie- dinna fash!
Even though I trusted Ron Moore & his production team, there was, yes, still a teeny-tiny part of me that wasn’t sure if I’d be able to reconcile Sam with the Jamie I held in my mind’s eye, when I read the books.
Well.
From the very first second “Jamie” appeared in the episode, I was sold. As in DONE. A goner. I wasn’t watching Sam Heughan on screen, I was seeing Jamie. MY Jamie.
And it wasn’t about nitpicking physical features—Sam just embodied Jamie. Or maybe channeled is a better word…
Check out this brand new Outlander trailer with never-before-seen-scenes and commentary from Ron Moore, Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Graham McTavish, Lotte Verbeek and Tobias Menzies! It’s AMAZING!
We love these books too; we’re not here to destroy this work, we’re here to honor it. ~ Ron Moore
People who are fans of the books are really going to love this. ~ Caitriona Balfe
It’s recognizably Outlander, but at the same time there’s this wonderful sense of novelty and discovery about it. ~ Diana Gabaldon
Scotland’s rich history provides the dynamic backdrop to the story of Outlander. This country has a particular quality to it; the light has a particular quality, the grass, the trees—the landscape itself is a character in the show. ~ Ron Moore
Every time I walk onto set, there’s at least a split second where I feel like, “this is not a set, this is actually real.” Its so rich, it’s really amazing. ~ Lotte Verbeek
‘Grand Marshal’ Howie Nicholsby (Founder of 21st Century Kilts in Edinburgh, Scotland) and Mary Keir, Tartan Day Parade NYC, 4-5-14
“Mary Keir” attended the Tartan Day Parade in NYC, her husband and #PocketJamie in tow. The following is what transpired, in her own words:
I brought Pocket Jamie to the Tartan Day Parade in NY yesterday and told my husband my goal was to get a picture of him with Grand Marshal “Howie Nicholsby,” who is the founder of 21st Century Kilts in Edinburgh.
I’m shy to begin with, and Howie was usually surrounded by cool fashionista types so I was very intimidated. My husband gave me a much-needed push and I finally made my way over, said hello, and asked for a picture.
He was perfectly agreeable, but when I pulled out Pocket Jamie, his eyes lit up! He said, “Oh, you know, I dressed him!” To which I replied, “Lucky you!”
(Sam Heughan backstage at 2013 BAFTAs)
(He dressed Sam for the BAFTAs, and maybe other occasions? When he said “I dressed him,” I had a visual of him physically, literally dressing him—and maybe he did). He said Sam is “a lovely guy.”
Then he told me he will be an extra in Outlander.
He wanted to check it all out, so he went to the set one day and they asked him to appear in the show. He mentioned Terry Moore, the costume designer, and said she thought it would be funny/ironic to put him in pants for the role since he is a kilt guy. Then he took out his phone and showed us a picture of him and Sam together in character.
I confess I couldn’t really see it ’cause I didn’t have time to fumble for my reading glasses, but it was nice of him to show us. He said it was the first time he’d worn “trews” in 15 years and it felt really weird; he had to wear them for 3 1/2 days while he filmed his part, which will appear in the 4th episode.
So he cheerfully posed with me and PJ and was as kind as could be, so I was really glad I got my nerve up to approach him.
“The Shorty Awards (also known as the Shorties) are the equivalent of the Oscar in the Social Media world.” ~ shortyawards.com
Did you know that Outlander has the most engaged fan base in advance of a premiere in Starz history?
As you can imagine, that’s marketing gold to the powers that be. In fact, Starz’ Digital Marketing team has been working very hard to make us, the fans, feel like we’re ‘part of the ride,’ hoping it will motivate us to spread the news that the books are coming to life (as if we needed any coercion lol).
They hosted the fan event in NYC in October 2013, and LA in January 2014. We had behind the scenes glimpses of video/sketches & artist renderings/Q&A with Ron Moore, Diana Gabaldon, AND the lucky attendees in LA also got to interact with Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe!
LA is where the #PocketJamie campaign was born:
The #PocketJamie campaign was designed as a digital extension of a fan event we held in Los Angeles. Attendees were given their very own #PocketJamie and challenged to take photos of him and upload them to Twitter. This activation will last over 2 months and will culminate in the #PocketJamie awards to be “held” in March.
Campaign Objectives
• Support our Outlander super fans and give them exciting, compelling content
• Encourage fans to participate in the #PocketJamie experience and activate others to do the same
• Bring a piece of the Outlander fan event to those who could not attend by giving #PocketJamie away on Twitter and encouraging everyone to participate.
The fun isn’t over yet.
Later this month, we will announce the #PocketJamie awards. Categories like “Most Creative #PocketJamie photo” “Farthest Traveled #PocketJamie” and “Best Supporting Appearance with #PocketJamie” will be announced. Fans will submit their photos for each category by tweeting them to @Outlander_Starz and including the #PocketJamie hashtag. Winners will be selected and announced at the #PocketJamie Awards, a live Twitter chat with the @Outlander_Starz handle. Each winner will receive a prize autographed by Outlander’s stars, Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. ~ Starz Digital Team, as seen on industry.shortyawards.com
So, do you feel like Starz has made you feel as though you’ve been ‘part of the ride?’ I can honestly say that I do…
And for those participating in the #PocketJamie contest, good luck & have fun! I can’t wait to see the entries, lol.
A Pocket Jamie a day keeps the redcoats away, ken?
Allan Scott Douglas & Diana Gabaldon at the Lord Provost of Aberdeen’s Civic Reception to conclude Tartan Day, 2011.
By now we have all accepted Sam Heughan as our beloved JAMMF, but did you ken that he wasna the first?
It’s true—there was another ‘official’ Jamie Fraser, years before Sam:
When I was in Edinburgh in 2009, I made the acquaintance of a lovely man named Mike Gibb. Mike’s a lyricist and playwright, and having fallen in love with OUTLANDER, asked me whether I might approve his writing a song-cycle of the story: a series of 14-15 songs, telling the high points of the story, which might later form the libretto for a stage production.
Mike and his friends, composer Kevin Walsh, did a couple of demo songs for me, which I found entirely charming, and they went ahead with the project. I’m enchanted with the results. ~ Diana Gabaldon, 2010/Outlanderthemusical.com
And so a musical was born:
(Listen to Outlander the Musical song samples or purchase the CD here – it’s also available on iTunes)
Well, being obsessed with all things Outlander, naturally I ordered the CD as soon as soon as I found out about it, let alone as fast as my fingers could type! And it was then that I learned that the role of Jamie Fraser was sung by Allan Scott Douglas, an actor/singer and native Scot.
…Allan is absolutely delighted to have joined the Outlander universe and hopes he can live up to the expectations and fluttering hearts that Jamie’s words have set over the years – if all else fails, he is at least a 6’4″ redhead who regularly wears a kilt and whose nose is slightly too long…so at least he’s got that part of Jamie covered!
I thought it would be nice to get Allan’s perspective on his experience with Outlander/JAMMF, as well as get to know the non-Outlander side of him (he’s been keeping busy, whether working on projects in Egypt, Turkey, or home in bonny Scotland…
Thanks to Outlander the Musical, you have the distinct honor of being the original “Jamie Fraser” in a production setting; knowing what you know now about the popularity/success of the series, would you have portrayed him any differently if you had the chance?
When I first got the part of Jamie in Outlander The Musical, everything happened very quickly.
We were in the studio recording barely a couple of weeks after my audition. I am incredibly proud of the finished product and I truly believe we did the story and characters justice. However, if there was anything I would’ve done differently I guess it would’ve been to have had a bit more time to research the whole Outlander universe.
I felt I had a good understanding of Jamie and where he was in his journey in each of the songs in the musical—what I didn’t know though was just how massive the Outlander series really was and how incredibly fanatical it’s readers are.
It’s been an amazing journey for me but, for the first few months, I was genuinely shocked at just how many people suddenly knew who I was and had such strong opinions (both good and bad) on me as Jamie.
(He’s not kidding about Outlander readers being fanatical, and having strong opinions regarding him as Jamie; by and large he has been well received by Outlander fans, though he has had his (un)fair share of criticism.
I recall a specific instance last year when, on Herself’s Facebook wall, some incredibly rude and insensitive comments were made about his physical appearance, respective to his resemblance to Jamie. Mass bickering ensued and the whole debacle left many of us in the Outlander community with a bad taste in our mouths.
But Allan took it all in stride. Check out his classy response:
“It’s just as well I’m a polite and even-tempered chap really, isn’t it? I COULD go through the images of each person who has posted mindless negativity and dissect everything that is wrong with their appearance and throw out random character assassinations purely on that basis—but thankfully, my mother raised me better than that.”)
Other than that, I kinda wish I known I was going to be portraying Jamie far enough in advance not to dye my hair purple a few weeks before my audition and therefore having to sport what was basically a crew cut for the concert performances and photo shoots…
Here is Allan as Jamie with ‘The Crew Cut:’
(Photo credit: Outlanderthemusical.com)
Here is what Allan’s hair is capable of, lol:
Photo credit: Allan Scott Douglas/fan page on Facebook
His answer to this next question really took me by surprise—not what I was expecting him to say at all.
Who is your favorite character in the Outlander series? What do you think are their best and worst personality traits?
This might be highly controversial but the character I find the most fascinating is actually none other than “Black Jack” Jonathan Randall. I’m not sure how easy it would be to pick a “best personality trait” but he is definitely a character that intrigues me every time he appears.
As a reader, I find everything about him incredibly uncomfortable but I’ve always been the sort of person who is deeply fascinated by slightly deranged/damaged individuals. Without such an incredibly well written anti-hero, Jamie probably wouldn’t have captured everyone’s heart quite so readily.
I guess, at heart, I’m just the nerdy kid who roots for the bad guy…
Have you ever portrayed a deranged/damaged character? (Gene Simmons doesn’t count lol)
Wow, that’s an awesome question!
I once did a short film in which I played a Hitman who was sent to kill someone for cheating on his girlfriend; just when the Hitman was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly broke down in floods of tears…and it transpired that, just that very evening, his own girlfriend had thrown him a ‘surprise’ birthday party, but as soon as she had jumped out from the dark to surprise him, his killer instincts had set in and he shot her in the head before realising what was going on.
That was one truly messed up mindset to try to get into to shoot a movie…
I also once played a psychotically deranged Glasgow gangster who constantly got into blazing rows with his brother…despite the fact that his brother had been dead for 10 years! Now THAT was a lot of fun…
Wow, those are two interesting characters! Were they both Scottish? Don’t you have something of a talent for different dialects around the UK?
Yeah, both of those particular characters were Scottish (perhaps Scottish characters just have a more naturally deranged disposition…) but I do love working in other accents too.
In the play Laquearia, I played the Irish playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett and really enjoyed finding what little video and audio recordings there are of him and tried to give a faithful performance of him both physically and vocally.
Challenges like that are what make this business so fascinating and (when you get it right) rewarding for me.
His dedication and humility are refreshing; it’s wonderful that he truly enjoys what he does for a living because we the audience reap the benefits. Specifically I was thrilled to learn of another, separate connection to the Outlander Universe…
July 2013 was a monumental month for Outlander fans, in more ways than one. First, when it was leaked that Sam Heughan was cast as Jamie; Allan Tweeted this:
Well, from one “Jamie” to another, I’d like to wish @Heughan every success in the Starz series! Oh and you lot, be gentle with him…
— Allan Scott-Douglas (@AlScottDouglas) July 6, 2013
He’s a class act, that Allan! And, he had some good news of his own to share (from his Facebook wall, July 3rd):
Well, now that all the contracts and various legal forms have come through (and since Diana herself has already mentioned it on Twitter), I think I’m safe to now officially announce that I am delighted to have been chosen to read Diana’s short story “Virgins” for Random House Audiobooks.
“Virgins” is one of 21 stories which have been selected for inclusion in an upcoming anthology called “Dangerous Women”—which is being put together by none other than Mr. George R.R. Martin, of ‘Game Of Thrones’ fame!! The anthology and it’s audiobook version are due for release in December. To say I am excited would be something of an understatement! This is an anthology featuring work by some of the world’s finest sci-fi and fantasy novelists and will feature a host of very well-known actors lending their voices to the audio versions—along with little old me!
Even more humbling was the fact that a prominent Game Of Thrones actor was offered to Diana to read “Virgins” but she felt I was better suited and Random House have bent over backwards to get me on board! Still a few logistical issue to iron out but I’m hoping to get the recording done by early September. Thank you all so much for all your support—I remain utterly bemused that so many people have taken an interest in my career but I appreciate every single one of you and hope there are many more exciting announcements to share with you all in the future…
You KNOW I couldn’t wait to ask him about THAT!
What was your experience like working on Virgins?
Working on Virgins, for it’s inclusion in the “Dangerous Women,” anthology being compiled by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, was a truly amazing experience! Hooking up, via Skype, with the director Fred in LA was incredible and the whole process was just so much fun!
It was also very interesting for me personally having to read as Ian, as well Jamie, as Ian was a character I hadn’t had any experience of up to that point.
I really can’t wait for everyone to hear the finished product and just hope I can live up to the very high standards Davina Porter sets with the main Outlander audiobooks.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Well we can’t wait to hear it too! Diana Gabaldon said on her Facebook wall today that “Dangerous Women” anthology will be released on December 3rd, so hopefully the audio version will be available at the same time. I think I’ll have to buy both, just to hear Allan’s narration! What about you?
BONUS: From Allan’s Facebook page (a snippet of his narration skills,which are verra nice I might add):
Howdy folks! Here’s a wee 90 second free preview of the radio drama adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling story “The Black Cat” which I recorded earlier this year. The full version is available for just $1.99 on iTunes. Something to tide you all over until ‘Virgins’ is realised… 🙂
We waited (some of us more patiently than others) for what seemed like forever on the announcement of who would be cast as Claire.
Sam’s casting was announced July 9th, and knowing that production was supposed to begin mid-September, we expected news of our leading lady to come ‘any day now.’ After all, they had to rehearse, right?
September 5th produced Colum & Dougal, Sept 10th gave us Murtagh…
Then, on September 11th our patience was rewarded.
Her name is Catriona Balfe (pronounced Katreena Balf). She’s a former Victoria Secret model, well-rounded actress probably best known for her roles in Super 8, Now You See Me, and the not yetreleased Escape Plan (with Arnold Scwarzzenager & Sylvester Stallone).
Here’s a brief clip of her speaking in an interview:
Don’t you think she even sounds like Claire should sound? She is irish and, get this—knows Gaelic:
@drobertsjhs@MoreThanTango I grew up speaking Gaelic, the boys won’t be able to talk behind my back on set now 😉
So- she looks like Claire, can hold her own with the boys on set, but do she & Sam have chemistry? Here’s what Herself had to say about that:
“Hard to believe lightning can strike twice, but it surely did. The moment Caitriona Balfe came on screen, I sat up straight and said, ‘There she is!’ She and Sam Heughan absolutely lit up the screen with fireworks.” ~ Diana Gabaldon
Hm. Well, I can tell you that they’d never met or read together before (because Sam told me that), and I can tell you what the scenes were, I think. (Aside from anything else,… some of the audition scene scripts had apparently leaked, because a number of the self-taped auditions I saw on VIMEO were using them.)
Anything else I know was told me by the production or PR people and I can’t talk about those things unless I ask them specifically if it’s OK to mention thus-and-so. (Not that there’s anything at all mysterious or weird; it’s just that some of the corporate entities involved are secretive by habit, and hey–it’s their show.)
There are two audition scenes, two takes of each, each about five minutes long. The first one is the conversation between Jamie and Claire right after they’ve had sex for the first time, where she asks him, “Was it like you expected it to be?”, he tells her about horses and snakes , and it ends with “Do you want to do it again?” “Would ye mind verra much?” and “No. I wouldn’t mind at all.” It starts with them fairly far apart, sitting facing each other, and they get closer and closer during the conversation, so with “I wouldn’t mind at all,” they’re kissing.
The second one is the big fight they have along the road, after Jamie, Dougal and the other men rescue Claire from Fort William. That’s the one that ends with, “You’re tearing my guts out, Claire,” and then “Forgiven.” That’s the one that had fireworks. ~ Diana Gabaldon
I simply can not WAIT to see them together! For the time being, the closest we’re going to get is this selfie they took just the other day:
Gary Lewis (Photo: Screenshot from Billy Elliot Trailer)
Who remembers the movie Billy Elliot?
It’s only one of the greatest, most charming, heartwarming films ever made. I HIGHLY recommend it. “Gary Lewis” plays the small-town coal-miner father, who struggles with the stereotype of his boy being a ballet dancer. I absolutely love him in this movie.
Here’s the trailer (look for Gary at minute marker 1:00):
You probably remember Gary from Gangs of New York (starring Daniel Day Lewis), where he played McGloin, but he has been in many other quality productions, including First Light where he costarred with our own Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser)!
Gary is perfect for the role of Colum—I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it myself! He pulls off stoic very well, physically, he’s 5’6″ and will have no problem appearing ‘short’ next to Graham McTavish’s Dougal, who is 6’2″.
Speaking of Dougal…
Graham McTavish (Photo: imdb.com)
Yes, he recently played a dwarf in the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but guess what? He’s 6’2″ and verra muscular.
His name is Graham Mctavish, from Scotland (don’t you just love that there are two Outlander connections in his name—Mrs Graham & Jamie McTavish, lol). He can be quite explosive as an actor, a verra good quality to have if you’re going to portray Dougal MacKenzie, War Chieftain.
Watch Graham discuss his character Dwalin in this brief clip (minute marker 0:48):
“He’s an absolute kick-ass warrior. Although there’s others that have experience at fighting, he’s a professional soldier. And so he has a different approach to it…Dwalin is the strong lieutenant who would do anything, never question his leader, Thorin. We are related, but it is as if we are brothers.” ~ Graham McTavish
Some of you may know this English actress her from her recurring role as Margaret Blaine, the alien Slitheen on Dr Who (2005).
She has an impressive list of acting credits, see for yourself on her imdb page.
Here’s a trailer clip featuring Annette on Dr Who:
Interesting- did you know that she & Sam Heughan (the actor cast as Jamie Fraser) both appeared the UK-based tv series Doctors, though not at the same time? And, she & Stephen Walters (the actor cast as Angus Mhor) also both appeared on the UK-based tv series Skins, though again, not at the same time.
Given her experience, I have no doubt that she’ll do Mrs Fitz justice. And, come on, how freakin’ perfect is she physically for this role? I canna WAIT to see her outfitted as Mrs Fitz!
Photo: Sam “Jamie Fraser Heughan” by Alex Oliver: dibujante
While we wait with bated breath for the announcement of who will be cast as Claire, I thought I would share some things to Sam Heughan’s credit that should make you verra excited (as if you weren’t already!).
It seems our Sam is truly dedicated to portraying Jamie as accurately as possible.
Earlier last month, Diana mentioned that Sam asked her, “Why did you make Jamie left-handed?”
Her partial response (quite thorough, I might add):
For starters– left-handed-ness was seen (through most of Europe) as a sign that the demons had been at your cradle, and you were likely someone as would bear watching, at the very least. Since they thought red hair was also a sign of the devil (flames, you know), a red-headed lefty was going to be a Suspicious Character. (He’s …got red hair because I have a major weakness for red-headed men. I also had one at home to use as a body model.) That’s why his schoolmasters forced him to write with his right hand, thus doubtless screwing up his central wiring summat, but also giving him a degree of ambidextrousness (which may come in handy if you have to use a sword).
(Now, bear in mind that I wrote OUTLANDER for practice, never intending to show it to anyone, let alone try to publish it. Add to that that I don’t think linearly (it’s more like one of those nets of Christmas lights; a bulb lights up _here_ and then one _there_, and while there actually is a connection between them, an observer isn’t going to see that connection until a lot more bulbs have been lit), and therefore don’t write with an outline or in a _straight_ line. Consequently, I often have small details whose importance/linkage doesn’t show up right away, or that develop additional links later. In other words, I didn’t plan all this out in advance, I just realized it while looking back over my shoulder.)
Next thing is to do with how the clan system worked…
(For the rest of Herself’s response (and there is much more), visit Glenna Fitzgibbons’ Facebook page, the first comment in a post from July 24th, 2013.)
Don’t you love having more insight into why Jamie is the way he is? I know I do.
How fortunate are we as Outlander fans to know that Sam is taking this role so seriously? I canna tell you how happy it makes me that he is reaching out to Diana and genuinely trying to get inside Jamie’s head.
Also, he is already engaging fans. He’s such a tease:
A recent Tweet which unsurprisingly incited an Outlander fan frenzy
DG’s response to above Tweet.
(Sam & Diana Tweet to each other often, use nicknames for one another: “Sheugs” & “Gabs,” lol)
Anyhoo, I’m guessing that Sam is right-hand dominant; I wonder how much training he will need to confidently wield a claymore, left-handed? I’m sure he’ll do fine, given his dedication to Jamie, and the fans, thus far…♥
Well, now…according to the Official Language that was suggested to me yesterday when they told me to go ahead and post the news that Scottish actor Sam Heughan has been chosen to play Jamie Fraser in the new Starz cable-TV series (it’s not a movie, it’s not a mini-series, it’s regular series television, but on a subscription channel)……
“I can’t confirm if the contracts are signed and he is officially Jamie Fraser but I can say Sam Heughan did audition. He was and is my top choice!”
…
This was after the Starz_channel Twitter account sent out a cheery little tweet yesterday urging people to “Follow @Heughan, who is to play Jamie Fraser on the new Outlander series!”
Which kind of caused Mass Consternation <cough>, to put it mildly, among all the PR people who had been planning press releases and controlled rollouts, etc.
Enough people saw that tweet–during the half-hour or so it was up –that the news was spreading like hair-oil on a sofa, so Ron Moore told me to go ahead and let the cat all the way out of the bag, via Facebook and Twitter. (When I looked a moment ago, there had been 350,000 views of the original posting, and about the same (collectively) for the three followups.) ~ Diana Gabaldon
So, it shouldn’t be overlong before we find out who will play Claire to Sam’s Jamie, ken?
outlanderfan.com 