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]
Okay, I’m going to bite the bullet here and say that, although Sam is gorgeous, his being gay has really affected me negatively. I like gay people–please don’t misunderstand–but for a gay man to play Jamie Fraser just seems wrong in my gut. I will have great difficulty suspending my disbelief while watching romantic scenes between the actors.
Is anyone else in this situation?
Dear Cynthia–
Errr…..what on _earth_ makes you think that Sam is gay?
–Diana
http://www.whosdatedwho.com indicates on the rather lengthy bio data that Sam’s sexuality is “Gay”.
I was pretty much flummoxed by that news, I can tell you. A gay man playing Jamie and a straight man playing Jonathan/Black Jack….too much cognitive dissonance!
Dear Cynthia–
You _have_ to be kidding! You’d take a silly rumor hashed up by a site with less substance than a supermarket tabloid and spread its nonsense around in public?
Sam’s a very versatile actor, and he’s done amazing performances _as_ a gay man, both onstage and in a British television movie–but that has absolutely nothing to do with his personal life.
–Diana
Thank you Diana… I have seen the first 2 episodes of Outlander and absoutely love them !! Prior to seeing the Starz series I had no idea what to expect since I had never read the Outlander books (I know shame on me). The minute Sam Heughan appeared on screen I was riveted. The first thing I thought after watching the 2nd episode was Geez where did they find this guy? Besides being an excellent actor he was so charismatic and interesting. He always looks different. Sometimes boyish and other times extremely rugged. The one physical trait that never wavers is his extreme masculinity !!! I just don’t get people making assumptions regarding someones sexual orientation when they have never met this person . Who the heck cares if he’s played gay men ???? He’s an actor …Isnt that what he’s sopose to do? There’s an old saying Never assume and just because you read something somewhere doesn’t necessarly make it true. Anyway, Bravo for such wonderful casting !!! I love the show so much that I just started reading the 1st of your amazing books. I practically read the whole book in one sitting. For me I cannot imagine any other actor fitting the role of Jamie so perfectly !! Sam Heughan has that special something . .. So many actors work all there lives to attain what comes to Mr. Heughan effortlessly.
Thank you, Diana. I came to your site as your fan as I loved the books and I am SO loving the show. Then I found this discussion and, unfortunately, got sucked into it out of pure disbelief. The one point I absolutely want to respond to is the factor of an actor’s personal life in whether a character portrayal is good or not. The ability of any actor to put aside their personal life and become who the character is supposed to be is testament to the quality of acting training, skill, and ability. And this actor portrays Jamie exceptionally well. I could care less about his personal life or the personal life of any actor. I care only about the portrayal of the character.
Dear Patty–
Not sure which discussion you mean, though I assume it’s some reference to Sam Heughan’s sexual orientation? I haven’t the faintest idea how anyone got the notion that he’s gay (I have excellent reason to think otherwise), but his private life is entirely his own business.
Best,
–Diana
My apologies to everyone if I offended. I presumed that Sam would sue the pants off any website that incorrectly portrayed him. Anyway, the feelings expressed were only my own.
Ms. G, Not that you have to worry about what we say because they’re YOUR books, your brain children, and from that, your TV series but I, for one, trust the casting crew to come up with the best actors they can to bring your stories to life. If someone is SO caught up in the fact that the actress cast to play Claire is a couple of inches taller than the books portrayed her rather than the fact that she’s the best actress to portray the part then they really aren’t serious fans of the story after all.
That being said, the Outlander Series fan group on Facebook HAS been having an absolute BALL positing potential actors for different parts, all in good fun. My hope is that everyone takes the time until the August 9th premiere to converse with other fans, build up excitement and anticipation and enjoy sharing our love of the characters you’ve made so real for all of us. If you have a chance, I highly suggest you drop by the Facebook fan site. Besides positing possible actors for parts there’s some really intelligent discourse going on based on the storyline.
Best wishes!!
I personally love the casting, especially Claire…. It is like the director/casting plucked her out of my head!!! My sister and I have been following the casting and we both felt like the imagery you portrayed in the books and the images we conjured in our head are well represented. You are amazing and I can’t wait for the next book to be delivered this month
Just a wee note to tell you that your dollar bills can remain safely in your pocketbook, lol. Sam IS Jamie, Cait IS Claire and I haven’t seen a single mis-step imho in casting in either episode.
I for one am a happy, thrilled and very contented fan!
I can’t wait for Jenny to start in on her brother, so far she has had three minutes of screen time, but I feel like Black Brian’s daughter is about to kick some butt!
I’ve rewatched all three episodes several times, and tonight, re-reading Outlander to refresh my memory of “on the road” events, realized … My mental “image” has shifted to picturing Sam. Poor guy … Hope he’s good with being objectified. #jaimepersonified
Dear Stephanie–
He’s an actor. Being objectified is kind of a job requirement. [g] But Sam Heughan is a lovely guy in personal terms, even when he’s not being Jamie, and I mean that in the non-physical sense, as well as the fleshly one.
Best,
–Diana
Hello Diana. Has the role of “Brianna” been cast yet?
If not, where would one inquire/contact?
P.S- love the chosen cast so far especially Caitirona, bang on for Clair. I am part way through the book series and I can’t wait to see what else is revealed!
Dear Brianna–
Nope. And I’m afraid I have no idea at all about casting; if you (or anyone else interested) is an actor, you’d likely be best served by finding an agent, whose business it would be to find out such things and arrange casting auditions. Best of luck!
–Diana
I am a new fan of only a year but have read all the Outlander & Lord John novels/novellas. They are my very favorite. You are brilliant my dear woman! Thank you for being you & sharing it!
Yes, I had a picture in my mind’s eye of all the characters. Yes, they are different from what the actors look like chosen for the series. No, I did not miss the fact that appears to escape many… they will be different for each of us. I also am not narrow-minded as to care about the sexual orientation of the actors. It makes no difference as their personal life is their own. I only care about them portraying the characters of your beloved novels to the best of their ability.
I watched many of the video interviews with the cast before the series aired & found it was easy to imagine them fitting very well with characters from the novels. The actors themselves were intelligent, witty & very down to earth. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser portrayed by Chris Hemsworth? Pfft! He is Sam Heughan hands down!
Now that the series has aired I am even more satisfied with all the actors chosen. Well done! Along with the story I am also enjoying the ‘eye candy’ provided by “the boys” as Caitriona Balfe calls them! (be still my heart)
Now… to all of you complaining about the actors chosen for the Starz Outlander series? This is not just about you! Scotland is the same as the books for God’s sake! (double eye blink with a grin)
Gentle Breezes to All!
Yeah, Chris Hemsworth doesn’t even really do it for me as Thor, much less Jamie! Sam Heughan just nails it as Jamie! The casting in Outlander is just amazing!
I just have a few things to say about the whole casting that everyone is complaining about:
As for Sam Heughan playing someone gay in another role. Michael C. Hall played a gay man in Six Feet Under and some people said they could never see him in another role and he went on BE Dexter Morgan. Now no one can see him as anyone else.
The age issue: Sally Fields is only 10 years older than Tom Hanks and she played his mother in Forrest Gump. Their real age doesn’t matter “on the big screen”
And as for Sam’s appearance. I personally have no idea who everyone else was envisioning but I think he is perfect. Jamie’s appearance is described over and over again. When you are a woman under 6’0 (which most of us are) the difference between 6’3 and 6’4 doesn’t matter. And I am a natural redhead and I think the salon did a fine job making him redheaded too. And if anyone needs a refresher. Page 407 of Dragonfly in Amber. “He was wide at the shoulder and narrow at the hip, with long, powerful haunches slightly dented by muscles held taut eveven as he relaxed.”
So that’s my unasked for defense of the casting.
I agree that the casting is fantastic! I have read all 8 books – (and excited to read the 9th when it comes out) and I have been thrilled with the casting, especially of Jamie and Claire. They are both absolutely perfect. I also have heard other fans say that he is too short, that his hair is not red enough – although looking carefully at his hair, I realized that it’s often because of the lighting that you don’t always see much red in his hair.
We were in Scotland for a few weeks in May, and we had a tour of the Highlands and Skye with a tour guide who was also doing Outlander tours, (the tourism industry in the Highlands has jumped because of the series) and she said that she won’t watch the show because she’s heard that the Jamie character doesn’t have blue eyes and is not red haired enough. (Sam’s eyes are blue, aren’t they? Not that it matters a whole lot to me). I agree that it is ridiculous that people are expecting to see exactly who they picture in their mind on the screen. This is also due to the fantastic job that you’ve done, Diana, in your writing such detailed descriptions of the characters in the books. It was a bit difficult to see the characters on screen at first, after so many years of picturing them for myself, but Jamie and Claire are amazingly perfect. I saw that from very early on in the series.
Thank-you so much, Diana! You are a brilliant writer – I am amazed with your detail and the research that you put into each aspect of your books! I particularly love reading the medical situations, since I am a nurse myself.
Can’t wait to see season 2!!
I’ve been reading the books for a month now and have one word for the casting of Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe and everyone else involved – FANTABULOUS!
We’ll I must say Sam is exactly as I imagined !!!! After seeing the first few episodes it was like I was “in the book” all over again. Casting is superb…….can’t wait to relive the Jamie and Claire story.
Diana, it seems that I had read once that when you were first writing ‘outlander’ and hashing out the characters, that the ‘Claire’ character literally ‘insisted’ on herself being drawn as she appears now. I’m trying to recall how you said this…I am interested in how you process and create your characters. Name selection, characteristics, flaws and strengths, personal history etc…if you could shed some light on a bit of this process (for you), it would be a lovely bonus to those of us who are voracious readers, your fans and non-writers.
Thank you for taking the plunge and writing a novel to learn how to write a book this birthing ‘Outlander’!
Sandee
Dear Sandee–
Well…I was asked something like this for a blog interview last year. Let me show you what I said then:
Q: It’s hard for readers to imagine characters in their embryonic state, when we experience them as fully-developed, complicated human beings. But characters don’t spring to life that way. Can you talk a bit about how you go about growing characters from stick figures into people?
A: But I _don’t_ do that. I know there are a lot of popular assumptions about how writers work, and the notion that one decides that a specific character is needed, equips him or her with a name, and then sets to work collecting pictures of actors and drawing up index cards with the character’s taste in peanut-butter is certainly one of them. It’s possible that some writers really do do that, and God help them, if so—whatever works, you know?
For me, characters are pretty organic. I don’t plot a story and insert characters; the story exists because these particular people have needs and desires and motivations, and finding themselves in a particular situation, act upon them.
You hear about “plot-driven” stories vs. “character-driven” stories (and why always “versus,” I wonder? There’s nothing antithetical between plot and character)—but in fact, the plot is simply what the characters do. They may do what they do in part because of the situation and circumstances in which they find themselves—but they do what they do mostly because they are who they are.
For me, characters tend to fall into one of three main types: mushrooms, onions, and hard nuts. (That’s not a description of their personalities, btw, but rather of the way in which I work with them, and them with me.)
Mushrooms are the delightful people who spring into life unexpectedly and walk right off with any scene they’re in. Lord John Grey is a mushroom, as is Mr. mushroomWilloughby, the Chinese poet with a notable foot fetish, and Mrs. Figg, Lord John’s redoubtable housekeeper (“Mrs. Figg was smoothly spherical, gleamingly black, and inclined to glide silently up behind one like a menacing ball-bearing.”). They talk to me freely, and I never have to stop and wonder what they’d do in any given situation—they just do it.
onionOnions are the ones whose innermost essence I apprehend immediately—but the longer I work with them, the more layers they develop, and thus the more well-rounded and pungent they become. Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp Randall are both onions.
Hard nuts are pretty much what they sound like. These are the people who “come with” a story by default, rather than developing organically by popping out of the mental compost. Historical figures, for instance, who were necessarily there, and have to be animated in a satisfying way, or people who exist only because another character was pregnant, leaving me with an unknown child to deal with. These, I just research (for the historical people) or live with (for the unknowns), and gradually, I begin to have a sense of them. But as with everyone else, they truly “develop” only in the context of their own situation and circumstance.
[NB: For those interested in the rest of the interview, you can find it here, on Barbara Rogan’s excellent blog, IN COLD INK.]
Best,
–Diana
I decided to give Sam a chance before I started criticizing his appearance, or anything else. I LOVE him as Jamie. He IS Jamie. Personally, he fits my visual description of the character, but that would mean nothing if he couldn’t act. It’s as though Jamie has come to life! LOVE him!
This is, by far, my favorite series. I’ve read them all and am now listening to them on audio books for the 2nd time. I was skeptical of the casting…. didn’t want it to ruin my own mental images I had. Now that we are several weeks in, I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the parts. Claire, Jamie, Frank/Black Jack… all great. Im going to miss Dougal when he’s not around, I love the guy who plays him!
he’s in DIA (books) right? shouldn’t he be called back for that?
Until S’Heug said the name, I have been mispronouncing Fraser in my head for 23 years… I thought it was like fray-zhure, but apparently it’s actually like eraser…but with an “F”. sorry! ditto “gaelic”, “culloden”…
I LOVE Sam. He is totally nailing Jamie. The nose is off and I pictured him a bit bigger but I like that he is in his 30′s but can pull off the 23ish looks. He will need to age well as the story dictates and clearly this young man is doing just that.
NOW, I have STRICT standards for my beloved Roger and hope that they do him justice. Wholesome but manly, tall, dark and he must must must have those beautiful leaf green eyes. I picture “Tom Welling”. If the casting directors can find anything close to that in a Scottish actor….I would be thrilled. I can’t wait.
Diana
I am thrilled to get to see Jamie and Claire on the screen it is so exciting!
I stumbled on outlander 6 years ago in the book store I worked in. The book was on our “staff faves” shelf and I gave it a try…my my my…I read and read and couldn’t stop!!!I’ve recommended the hell out of your series after that…every customer who came looking for something we sent it with them!
I’m loving the show and I am very pleased with ALL the actors!
P.s. This has got to be the time of your life to watch this all come together!!
Sam is just perfect as Jamie. Seeing him bring Jamie to life is amazing. What a great choice. He makes us all melt!
BEST
LINE
EVER!!
“and…enough sex to drop anyone with functioning ovaries in their tracks.”
You have hit the nail RIGHT on the head, Diana! Sam is perfectly perfect!!! As perfect words go! While I am doing my re-read of the series, I can totally picture Jamie (Sam) as my reference. Claire is also perfect for the role! I commend the casting crew for doing a job well done with bringing your beloved characters to life!
Ms. Gabaldon,
I met you in Philadelphia when you spoke at the Philadelphia Free Library. My husband was one of the eight men that ventured out with their partners. I have wanted to thank you for the attention you gave when I approached you. I understood you were trying to get through the long line of people that were waiting patiently but I must say when I stepped up I felt like it was just the two of us talking. You made me feel very much welcomed and appreciated that I enjoyed your work.
I got on Facebook this morning to see what was new. Why does Sam’s sexuality seem to be a main tropic of conversation? I really feel this an American thing, I grew up with 2 European parents and somebodies sexuality was never in question. I don’t see a person and start judging their sexuality, this just seems odd to me. If a person is kind and has no ill towards me or my family then I want to get to know them better.
I have a daughter in high school, we raised her to be a free thinking and judge people by what they hold in their hearts not on their face or sexuality.
Anyway, it seems that others can really get fixated on different things when there is so many other important things to gain.
Hoping that your may find time to rest during this hectic time.
Dear Valerie–
I hadn’t noticed anyone talking about that–but then, I don’t go anywhere on Facebook other than my own page.
It was lovely to meet you in Philadelphia! [smile] I had a great evening.
Best,
–Diana