Sam Heughan and Friend at Outlanderworld
Goodness, can’t leave you lot to your own devices for long, can I? [g] Given the amount of traffic I see in the stats for this blog and my Facebook page, I conclude that the Casting Wars are still boiling along.
Well. Look.
1) People are entitled to their own opinions. Naturally, I’d prefer these opinions to be expressed—and received—civilly, but up to you, of course. I believe in the virtues of free discourse.
2) I—of course—am likewise entitled to an opinion. [cough]
Now, my opinion is based on rather more information than most others expressed here, because
a) I created Jamie Fraser and thus—presumably–have a pretty good idea of what he really looks and acts like.
b) While I haven’t yet met Sam Heughan, I’ve seen Rather a Lot of him (about 95%, at a rough guess), both in terms of
a. Photographs, and
b. Film, and
c. Bits and pieces, like audition tapes
Naturally, everyone forms mental images while reading. Everybody. I do it when I read other people’s books, too. Now, I can’t imagine why anyone—having read OUTLANDER—would form an image of Jamie as a 7-foot tall Bozo the clown on steroids, but you know….whatever floats your boat.
Why anyone should expect a film company to a) telepathically extract your personal vision of a character and b) try to replicate that onscreen is one of the Great Mysteries of the Universe, and I’m not about to try to solve it here—I got a book to write, among other things, and there are only so many hours in the day.
So I’m just going to say This about That:
Y’all have not seen Sam Heughan “be” Jamie Fraser.
I _have_.
Now, when they told me who they’d chosen and that they were sending me the audition tapes, I was in the car, driving from Phoenix to Santa Fe with my husband. Unable to get to my computer until we got to Santa Fe, I was madly googling “Sam Heughan” on my iPhone (my husband was driving, I hasten to add).
Frankly, I thought he looked bizarre. He’s 6’3”, that’s fine…very chiseled face, but oddly chiseled, and what’s with the large forehead and cleft chin?!? Jamie doesn’t have a cleft chin and his nose is not all that long, though it _is_ straight…and good grief, I know we wanted somebody who could play a 22-year-old virgin, but this guy hardly looks like he has hair on his behind, let alone the dangly bits…but…
But.
But you know, I _do_ understand what it is that actors do.
(Do you know that, btw? What they do is magic. They can become somebody they aren’t—and their physical outline is just Really Not That Important. (Within limits. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher is a long way outside those limits…).)
So I sat down at my computer, sort of looking warily through my fingers. Willing to suspend disbelief if I could, but kind of dubious, you know?
So here he is, dark-haired, in a long-sleeved gray T-shirt, and I’m thinking, “Boy, he doesn’t look _anything_ like his IMDB photos, he actually looks pretty human, that’s a relief…”
And five seconds later, Sam Heughan was GONE, and it was Jamie Fraser right there in front of me. True. No costume, no makeup, no props, nothing but cues from an offstage casting director, and…it was him.
He did two scenes. First, a confrontation with Dougal, right after Dougal’s ripped his shirt off in the tavern.
“Devil take ye, Dougal MacKenzie! I dinna owe ye that!” Blazing blue eyes, swelling shoulders, and…bam. Showed this small bit to a (male) friend recently, who blinked at the screen and said, “Man, he’s powerful!” He was.
Second scene was even better; it’s the scene where Jamie explains to Claire exactly why he’s about to punish her. [g] And he had it all: patience, seriousness, annoyance, patience, humor, menace, humor, and…enough sex to drop anyone with functioning ovaries in their tracks.
Now. In the months since then, the production people have been kind enough to show me the occasional glimpse of this or that. I _have_ seen the red hair in its full glory (it took seven tries—and 27 hours in a salon chair, I was told by the victim), and speaking as someone married to a red-head (himself Jamie’s original body model) and with two more in residence…it’s definitely the right kind of red.
Red hair—as I notice a few red-heads have been mentioning—looks Way Different, depending on the light. Unless it’s truly carroty (and Jamie’s is Definitely Not), sometimes it looks almost brown, sometimes it’s red-gold and sometimes it’s all different colors and sometimes it has almost-blond highlights and sometimes…well, let’s put it this way: it doesn’t look like Bozo the clown or Shamus the Wrestler, it looks like Real Hair, just red. (And if you really worry about this, do go and google “red deer images” and _see_ what the heck a red deer’s pelt looks like.)
But beyond the physical details (which are, um…Really Good, and decency prevents me going further, save to say that while Jamie certainly doesn’t look like Thor (gag me with a spoon), he—and Mr. Heughan—look Very Nicely Muscled indeed)….Sam Heughan can _act_. And he totally nailed it.
So. Feel perfectly free to express your own opinions. (I don’t know quite what people expect as a result. Surely they don’t figure that Starz will say, “Oh, no! Robyn MacGillicuddy Stimson thinks Chris Hemsworth should be Jamie! Get Hemsworth’s agent on the phone!” Or at least I hope they don’t think that…) You’ll change your mind in due course.
Or I’ll pay you a dollar. [g]
A while back, after all the vitriol towards another author, including death threats, I posted somewhere that I was worried about how you would deal when ‘fans’ decided you had personally assaulted them by your choices in your characters. Many people rushed to reassure me that you would have no difficulties putting them in their places. I see they were right. You rock!
Diana, some people aren’t really imaginative if they want absolutly the perfect Jamie. but, imagination is mainly the essence needed for the type of book you are writing.
Je suis prest ! Maryse
Nothing personal about Sam, I’m sure he’ll make a perfect Jamie, as we eventually warm up to him. It’s just that we’re overtly protective of “our” Jamie and as such, it seems no one will ever be “perfect” enough to play Jamie, you ken?
In a way I find it difficult to believe that anyone is actually complaining about this, but then again some people aren’t happy unless they’re miserable. I for one am grateful that this series is being made, after so many years of wishing and hoping. And Sam looks fantastic to me.
Great stuff, Diana. Virtual hugs to you, and Sam, and everyone involved.
You made my day with this post! I sat here grinning for far too long, then browsing the commentary.
The fans crack me up with their opinions, the stronger then better – because then you will take them to task.
Come back to the Decatur Book Fest when your schedule frees up!
Since I can’t wait until 2014…I think I may need to see Sam’s audition tape for myself ;). Just to see if what you say it true.
I just thought that my husband was the perfect Jamie (and of course I’m Claire!). But guess what my new screensaver pic is? (sigh) Can’t wait for the movies! Diana – you are my hero.
Hi! To heck with the rest of the world – I think Sam is an excellent choice to be Jamie! His pictures alone show the right extremely “intense” expressions I always imagined Jamie to have.
AND, from the little bit I saw of Sam and Caitriona together…well…oh my…uh-huh…yeah, they’ll do!
Where I am a little worried, however, is in the casting of Black Jack Randall. I have some good faith in the casting people (they did find Jamie!) but I can’t help but wonder if Tobias Menzies will have enough, um…well enough of the bone-deep-intensity-of-evil to pull off the one man who could haunt Jamie forever. I’ve only seen his online pictures which I know isn’t enough to judge anyone by. But still, for the character trifecta of an absolutely amazing story to work, Black Jack has to be one heck of a charismatically scary-sexy individual to make it all work out well. ok. i’ll say no more on that.
Anyway, all the other selections I’ve seen so far are excellent! Duncan Lacroix as Murtagh? Okay, that might work. Graham McTavish as Dougal (BTW – McTavish…uh-huh. How weird is that?)- yup, I’m in. Yum!
I’m just so excited to see this happen! I can’t wait. And thank you so much for an excellent story!
So far so good…you’ll have no complaints from this quarter!
I’ve wondered about Tobias for a bit as well, knowing he would be an awesome Frank…then I looked at him again and realized the look of him disarms a person (remember Claire’s reaction at first?). He will carry it off because part of Black Jack’s cruelty stems from the fact his looks and public mannerisms are so directly opposed to his private life. That is what makes him totally terrifying, and something in Tobias’ IMDB profile shows that kind of depth as a possibility–Macbeth, anyone?
I’m wondering if we will meet the young Lord John Grey???
I’m so excited about this whole production!
I KNOW WHAT JAMIE LOOKS LIKE….I dream of him every other night. xoxo
The Voyager series was loaned to me by a friend who knows my likes. I will be forever in her debt….Diana Galbaldon = gifted
I think the casting on the whole looks fantastic, especially Jaime, Claire, Jenny, Geilis and Laoghaire!
I would like to see the actress playing Claire to wear contacts to give us the right eye colour, though – it just would be the icing on the cake, for me.
So much will be down to the characterisation, but so much care has been taken with the casting, it gives me a really good feeling about the dramatization of what is, for me, the best book of the entire series.
Even without functioning ovaries, Jamie Fraser makes me swoon…do wish we had Starz! Keep writing, Diana, I need the new book!
would like to know if the mini series will be available to view for Canadian audiences ?
Dear Lisa–
It’s not a mini-series; it’s a full cable-tv series (like TRUEBLOOD, Game of Thrones, etc.). It’ll be on Showcase in Canada, I’m told.
–Diana
How about Australia, Diana? Any idea whether it will be available here?
I was a little unsure until I saw Sam in a kilt with the red (very natural looking!) hair! Very swoon worthy!!! I like the fact that he is not too muscle bound. Just right! Will definitely have to subscribe to Starz before the spring. Can’t wait!!!
Wow! He looks exactly the way you have described him for all these years in all these pages. And the reality is every bit as good as the writing!
Well Diana, you have written a male character that women the world over have fallen in love with.
I think they are all afraid that they won’t see “their Jamie” on the screen. Since Jamie is essentially you, none of us are going to get the real thing. So, we will just have to trust that you know the feel of Jamie better than any of your readers. If you say Sam is Jamie then, he will be Jamie.
i am not going to see the show. that man looks less like jamie (in my mind ) than anyone except maybe flip wilson. glad i saw a picture so i wont ruin all the years in my mind. the only that could be worse is if phyllis diller played claire
Dear Elaine–
You’re entitled to your opinion. Thanks for sharing. [g]
–Diana
Hi Diana
I’m so glad an unknown was chosen for the part of Jamie, and if you think he embodies Jamie, who are we to say different?. Eagerly anticipating the series release, and impatiently awaiting MOBY.
I hope you’ve already started book 9, don’t think i could waite this long fro the next
Love your work.
You’re the boss. If you say this IS Jamie, I’m good with it. However–isn’t there always one–a writer’s words are filtered through the readers vision. The beauty of books is that we, the readers, get to imbue characters with our own minds eye view.
For the last 12 years I have had a mental photo album of Jamie aging like fine wine with each book. It is difficult for me now to remember how I saw him as a beautiful boy, but it was certainly a tad more rugged. I can only base my opinion on the one still picture, and like you the first time, I am going “huh?”
You have seen him do the character morph and blessed the interpretation. Ergo, whatever shows up on screen must now become the new likeness. I
I am looking forward to buying the videos when they go on the market. As much as I want to see the books on screen, I can’t see paying top dollar for a premium channel for one series.
Oh Diana, I hope they do this justice. I have waiting along time for this. Don’t even know yet if we can get in UK but I will try. Outlander et all are just the best books I have read ever. You have a unique talent. I have been thrown back in to the past so many times reading them, almost obsessed.
As for the actor playing Jamie, mmmm, not sure. Ron Moore, now he’s a Jamie, pity not an actor too.
Anyway, filming a couple of weeks ago in Falkland (close to where I stay), unfortunately was not there on the day, that would have been spooky. My friend was and I could not believe it was for Outlander.
I cannot wait to see it.
Well done you – massive fan.
regards Lorraine T
Love your response and your description and completely trust that if you like him, I will.
Now I just need to get Starz on our line up.
Best wishes!