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]
People need something to fuss about. It makes them feel like they own a piece of the story/movie/series, whatever.
So they’re fussing because they can’t actually fill the time with A) watching the miniseries or B) reading the next book.
Me, I’ve got so much work to do, and I need to double up so I have the free time to read the next book and watch the miniseries (and maybe catch coverage of the Olympics and college basketball, too — not to mention prepare for the holidays). I can’t take the time to run the universe.
Oh, Diana, you just made my day! I don’t know how you put up with it all. One of the things I most like about you is how you deal with your fans. You are very gracious with your time and wonderful wit and insight and you also are not afraid to set people straight when needed. Bravo! #SamisJamie
THANK YOU DIANA!! Love your ferocity and Jamie Frasier…hehehe couldn’t resist! I’m so very excited with the casting choices, I can hardly wait until Outlander premiers. Thank you for this glorious gift you’ve given all of us in the form of these books!
While I don’t have a functioning set of ovaries I am willing to bet that scene will make my heart stop and other things as well. Very well said Diana. We each have our own opinions of what our “leading man” from any book may be, and we might not alway agree with who gets cast for our favorite characters. Your opinion is the most important as they come from your mind and heart to begin with. We are all just invited travelers on your journey.
All I hope is that when I see them on the screen that everything I have imagined in my own mind gets created right there on the screen. I don’t care what they look like and I don’t care if they have the right tilt to their head or the same complexion as the characters in the books. I just care that they bring those I have come to love to life and do them justice. I believe whole heartedly they will. And, BTW, even though when I first saw Sam I thought.. hmm, can he be Jamie, the more I hear from him on Twitter and see pictures I truly think he is going to be the perfect Jamie.
You go girl!
Thank you Diana for taking the time to write this to all those who seem to be struggling with Sam as Jamie. I believe I had much the same reaction as you. I have been in love with Mr. Jamie Fraser since I as 17 years old….lets just say I read the first book soon as it was published! I think Sam will make a wonderful Jamie and as you said Actors to Magic, your mention of jack Reacher is spot on! We must trust in you and the production team and Sams abilities as an Actor. It will be amazing I’m sure!
I’m surprised you had to justify your choices, it doesn’t really makes sense to me! As a devoted fan of your series, I couldn’t imagine a better gift than to have the author help decide the actors for the series! We all imagine what the characters look like as we read, but I for one am so looking forward to seeing the author’s true vision! Thank you Diana for being more than gracious to some of the ridiculous comments – many of us wonder if these are from people who have actually read the books. We love you, and can’t wait to read “In My Own Heart’s Blood” and to see the Starz series! Cheers!
You know, there will always be someone who will say this or that about stuff they know nothing of, and the simple truth is people are terrified that their internal image of this astounding character will be forever tarnished. For those of us who are enthralled by this story, we are thrilled that it’s being honored to be serialized on film. But for me, this amazing amazing tale sits firmly inside me. Twenty years and still loving it. It has given me years of wonder, and joy, and while I share/encourage people to get addicted like me, my hardback copies never leave my hands. Lol.
I am now at the age when my ovaries no longer function. That is, in most regards, a Good Thing. I contentedly wait for my children to fill my baby cravings. However I am not too old to perceive that Mr Heughan is verra fine to gaze upon. And his voice (swoon) is captivating.
I had my own image of Aragorn; it was not Viggo Mortenson. I imagined Jason Bourne; I never pictured Matt Damon. Cute as he was, it took several movies before I believed Dan Radcliffe was Harry Potter. I have an image of Jamie, and it is mine, with all due thanks to Ms Gabaldon. No one can erase the man I see in my mind’s eye each time I reread the books. But I anticipate with great excitement seeing what Ron Moore, Sam Heughan and all the fine people at STARZ put on film for us. It will be a quality production, I have no doubt. So stock up on shortbread and single malt and count me in.
:)) What can I add to that. So true. Actors have the power to become all sorts of people. There have been many times where I’ve seen a film and thought, Who’s that? because the actor had transformed themselves so much that they weren’t immediately recognizable. Sam will BE Jamie and IS Jamie end of story. You can’t please everyone but I will add that I am thoroughly pleased. Thanks for such a moving wonderful story.
Oh, that was awesome! I’m someone who can see that Sam will be perfect as Jamie and I am thrilled to bits with the casting! But I have to admit that the naysayers have been getting me down a bit lately. Thanks so much for posting this, Diana!
I must say, when it came to light that the books would really be filmed and with Herself’s input, I was at ease. I wouldn’t tell a chemist, a winemaker, or an architect what to do, put, add or subtract. I’m sure not going to tell an artist (filmmakers are artists) how to create. I will enjoy every second of the series. Just as they present it.
Poor Sam! 27 Hours! I can’t even imagine what he is going to have to go through over the next few years keeping it up for filming. UGH.
As for you Diana Gabaldon, I can not thank you enough for taking the time to be engaged with fans. Personally I LOVED Sam, the minute I saw him, heard his audio reel, and his video reel. He takes your breath away in everything he does. Please please give him a huge hug from the fans when you meet him.
Thank you for your writing and for caring about the fans who follow you
I’m surprised you had to justify your choices, it doesn’t really makes sense to me! As a devoted fan of your books, I couldn’t imagine a better gift than to have the author help decide the actors for the series! We all imagine what the characters look like as we read, but I for one am so looking forward to seeing the author’s true vision! Thank you Diana for being more than gracious to some of the ridiculous comments – many of us wonder if these are from people who have actually read the books. We love you, and can’t wait to read “In My Own Heart’s Blood” and to see the Starz series! Cheers!
I suppose folks can imagine Jamie as a two-headed, bald troll if _that’s_ their personal preference. However, to continue to insist that Jamie has physical characteristics that he does NOT makes me wonder if people actually read the books, lol.
The fact that you have been okay with the casting since day one has always made me feel confident in the series. I think people are forgetting that when you’re reading a book, characters are simply these people who we create with our own minds, taking favourite bits and pieces from celebrity crushes, significant others, fantasies, etc. etc. and putting them together to make this completely NON-EXISTENT human being. Now that these books are going to be on screen, you have to find the best fit with what you got. No human being is going to have every single detail to a TEE. Why? Because that person doesn’t exist. And IF, I say IF, you actually do find an actor with a great deal in common with the character physical trait wise, that doesn’t mean he/she can possess the soul of the character and actually BECOME that character.
Sam Heughan is NOT what I pictured Jamie Fraser as being but now that it’s been made official, I can’t picture Jamie being played by anyone else. Very happy and confident with the casting!
Diane; You are my all time favorite author. I love your characters and the way you bring them to life. Personally, I think Sam looks like a great Jamie Frazier. Being married to a true Scotsmen myself I know about THAT kind of red hair.You are the creator of the series and if you are good with the actors/actresses, that is what should matter. Tyrion in Game of Thrones does not match the description of Tyrion in the novels either, but who cares? The actor brings so much to the character we feel that we KNOW him. The same will be true for Jamie. I am counting down to the release of your next book and the premier of the series.
Thank you! Now, if everyone would just get a life and let STARZ get on with their business life would be a whole bunch easier and less stressful. We should be trusting you to help them get it right and quit whining and jibber jabbering about oh, he’s not right it should be so and so. She’s not right it should be so and so. YOU are the one who knows what YOUR characters should look like and NONE of us! We all have our own image of every character. Enough already!!!
Love you, love The Books and can’t wait for the new one.
C
I trust your opinions, your instincts … after all you WROTE the books! Let’s move on!
I am so excited that they are making this series! Sam isn’t “my” Jamie but he’s growing on me and I trust you implicitly since you created him. Thank you for your generous spirit and patience with your crazy fans! We adore you!