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]
I saw the same thing that Diana described when I watched a Hallmark movie that Sam had made. I thought adorable, but seems too finely made, not as she described him. As I watch the websites and photos as they have been coming along I am watching Sam become Jamie. I am also watching the photos and websites bring these wonderful books alive. I am totally thrilled with it all and feel privileged that we have been made such a part of the whole process.
You’re the only one who truly knows what the characters look like and if you ‘re happy, then I’m happy and boy am I happy!! Every cast member is so perfect, especially Jamie and Claire.
I am lucky to live in the North-east of the UK , not too far away from Scotland and over the past few years have spent most summer holidays in the Highlands, especially in the Inverness, Loch Ness & Fort William areas.
Your books, like Scotland touch my heart and soul.
Diana you have made a librarian, of a certain age, verra, verra happy!
I think the folks who are still up in arms about this aren’t reading justifications; they are just reacting to pics. Of course, they are reacting in the same way, every time, but they aren’t going to change their opinions because they aren’t that invested in reading anyone else’s.
Thank you, Diana, for making me laugh during your gentle admonishment of those who just can’t accept that they have no say in casting. Any good actor will make the character come to life, and it just won’t matter if the actor doesn’t exactly match the original description. I am eagerly anticipating the next book and the Starz show. Please don’t let the naysayers bother you!! PS- if you are taking volunteers to hold your clipboard/iPhone/whatever when you finally get to Scotland for filming, I’d be happy to do so!
Just gotta say…. I have loved Jamie for years. Yes I invision him 7 foot tall and hair a deeper red than what I have seen Sam as. But this is MY jamie. I won’t let you take that away. Do I think Sam is Jamie you bet. DG you wrote the book and I will not say you do not know jamie when you see him. I for one can not wait. On pins and needles. I am so excited. Thank YOU Diana for opening my eyes to reading. I devoured you books — and this is some one who got terriblye bored at reading stop signs let alone prescribed reading. I thank you for you art and giving us an amazing read. 100% behind you / beside you!
Yep, fans are snarky. Of course, it is the love of your books that bring those fans hunting you down on facebook and sites like these. Expectations might be selfishly limiting, but emotions are high and worthy of beloved characters. You done good. So excited to see these characters come to life!
Dang straight! Jamie is yours, you know how he’s supposed to look, and the rest of us will just have to sit back, relax and trust that you know what you’re doing, for goodness sakes!
You haven’t led us astray yet!
Thank you for all you do. I could picture your eyes sparking (with both humor and frustration) as I read this. It’s too bad someone keeps feeding the trolls. Hope this sends a few of them back under the bridge. M&M is right . . . they are both yummy!
I am continually amazed that the dither dather continues. Sam has some totally amazing acting chops! I am planning to enjoy that wonderful acting for hopefully the next several years.
Way to go, Diana! I have just shaken my head at the folks who think Sam/Jamie should have hair like Bozo or Ronald McDonald. Where they ever even got that idea, I don’t know; clearly they haven’t taken note of the numerous descriptions in the books.
One would think that when the character’s creator is enthusiastic about the choice of an actor, then those doing the casting have likely gotten it right. Perhaps it’s just that so many folks have, for decades now, been in love with their own imagined version of Jamie (right or wrong) that they just can’t let it go. I have a strong feeling that they’ll change their minds the instant they see Sam as Jamie onscreen. The fact that Sam seems to be a truly decent fellow and so good at humoring his new legions of fans just adds to his mystique. I feel that he is about to be a HUGE star, and hope we get to enjoy numerous TV seasons of him as Jamie. (And I think that they couldn’t have possibly picked a better Claire…)
The Heuligans never doubted for a second…
And gag me with a spoon is exactly what I said! 
RAH RAH go Sam Go!!!
I LOVE SAM! And I personally cannot wait for my ovaries to be stopped in their tracks! How do I love thee, let me count the ways….I love the hair color, the height, the muscles, the humor, the kindness he shows his fans and just in general from what I’ve seen, the chiseled face, and everything that goes along with it (and did I say the muscles?). HE IS JAMIE. I have not one iota of doubt about that. I’m so glad that he was chosen – and Cait is perfect as Claire too. Just like I pictured her to be. They both seem like genuinely nice people from their contact with us fans thus far.
Now, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher…. I thought my head would explode.
Well said, Diana! Ultimately, it’s about an actor having the talent to create the character, isn’t it? I never imagined Jamie as a huge, muscled guy either. I’m only 5’3″ and anyone over 5’10″ seems large to me. I think Thor looks fine but he’s a bit wooden (no pun intended) in his acting ability. Plus, there’s the chemistry between the characters that’s important and then the scheduling , contracts and the budget, etc.
Sam seems to be a good sport about the whole thing and I’m looking forward to seeing his performance. As for the red hair, well, you are so right about the color photographing differently depending on the light and the camera. With my completely red haired family, I take a lot of photos and am amazed how varied all the shades can look. My new Nikon favors the red and I have to Photoshop all the pictures to make it more realistic.
I’m just hoping for at least a hint of freckles. Pretty please? We live in CO and we have to buy sunscreen by the buckets. No sunscreen in the 1700′s and even though the sun there is much less intense, there must be a few freckles. I am also curious if the people in the 1700′s had the same kind of aversion to gingers that people in the UK have now. My family hasn’t been bullied over here but I understand that it’s a big problem on the other side of the pond.
Anyway, I have faith that you all know what’s best.
Get ‘em, Diana.
Thank you for remaining patient and gracious throughout this adventure. How trying it must be to be putting the finishing touches on book number 9, while traveling, consulting on the Outlander series, trying to have a life with your family – and – field all the questions and craziness that swirl around you! I now see that there is much more than a just touch of Yourself in Himself indeed. Jamie Fraser may be “the king of all men, ” but you, madam have certainly made Himself in your image! Bravo, Diana Gabaldon, please take a bow!!
Thank you for remaining patient and gracious throughout this adventure. How trying it must be to be putting the finishing touches on book number 9, while traveling, consulting on the Outlander series, trying to have a life with your family – and – field all the questions and craziness that swirl around you! I now see that there is much more than a just touch of Yourself in Himself indeed. Jamie Fraser may be “the king of all men, ” but you, madam have certainly made Himself in your image! Bravo, Diana Gabaldon, please take a bow!
He’s beautiful! He’s a Scot! He’s powerful! What a perfect combination!!!! (…and he CAN act!)
Diana, you crack me up! I love how you deal with people. I wish I had at least a tenth of the command of the English language that you have! (my default stand-by retort being, “oh yeah??)
Thank you again for these books, and all the in-between treats you give us!!
I AM SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED !!!
I’ve read the books multiple times till the covers are in tatters. Well, I didn’t read “Dragonfly in Amber’” as much as it’s too sad for me.
Anyway, thank you Diana for writing my very favorite novels !
Thank you Diana,
It’s sad that people continue to demand their own way. Entitled people makes ridiculous demands. The depth of their selfishness wouldn’t abate even if you handed over Jamie himself in all his kilted glory! I know, you of all people know that… So more than anything, thank you for your patience! I’m afraid I would not handled any of this so graciously! I appreciate your gracious spirit and all you extend to your readers. (Even the me gimme mine, Wackadoodles)
Yours, Deborah