‘Outlander’: Sam Heughan Admits the Show Has Been ‘Life-Changing’ — and Not Just For His Career
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- Sam Heughan admits being cast on Outlander has changed his life.
- Heughan has been busy promoing season 6 of the time-traveling drama.
- The Outlander star calls Scotland “another character in the show.”
Outlander season 6 is almost here, and star Sam Heughan can’t stop talking about the time-traveling drama. Since the lockdowns have ended, the 41-year-old Scot has been making the rounds at various fan events in both America and the UK. At one event in Edinburgh, Heughan admitted that Outlander has been “life-changing” — and not just for his career.
Fraser’s Ridge will ‘disintegrate’ in ‘Outlander’ season 6
Based on Diana Gabaldon’s sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, season 6 will be a dark chapter to the story filled with murder and betrayal after the arrival of newcomers The Christie Family.
During an appearance at New York Comic Con in October, Heughan teased the plot of season 6 by telling fans that life at Fraser’s Ridge is going to change for Jamie and Claire (Caitriona Balfe).
“I think, you know, Jamie and Claire have spent a lot of time building this community. I think this is the series where we really see that disintegrate,” Heughan said, per Express.
Jamie Fraser is on the wrong side as the Revolutionary War looms
Season 6 will take place in 1775, just one year before the American Revolutionary War. With war on the horizon, Jamie and Claire are still dealing with their own personal trauma after Claire’s assault in season 5.
“Jamie went to save Claire, but I think she hasn’t gotten over that [season five] trauma. Jamie is very aware of it and he’s keeping an eye on her and these cracks are really starting to show, not only for them but for the rest of the inhabitants of Fraser’s Ridge,” Heughan explained.
“The war is coming, it always seems to be coming but it is and we’re very aware and Jamie’s having to tread a fine line between his loyalties. He knows he’s on the wrong side with the British and at some point, he’s going to have to switch sides. It’s really hard for him because Jamie is being pulled in both directions.”
The ‘Outlander’ star says the time-traveling drama has been ‘life-changing’
Heughan and his Outlander co-star Graham McTavish (Dougal MacKenzie) were recently at Usher Hall in Edinburgh for the launch of the companion book to their road trip series Men In Kilts. Of course, Outlander was a big topic of conversation. And Heughan told the crowd that the series has been “life-changing.”
“Outlander has spawned an interest in Scotland, it’s created a film studio that wasn’t there before. It’s been life-changing for the tourism industry and also for our careers,” Heughan said, according to The Scotsman. “Scotland is always at the heart of Outlander – I’ve always said it’s like another character in the show.”
Sam Heughan promises longer episodes in the short season
Production for season 6 was delayed for months due to the pandemic. To get the season on Starz as quickly as possible, producers decided to shorten the season to just eight episodes. But Heughan says that the episodes will have a longer running time.
“It’s a shortened season of eight episodes, but the episodes are much longer – the first episode runs for around an hour and a half,” Heughan explained. “That extra time spent with the characters means they are really strong episodes and there are a whole load of new characters coming in.”
Sam Heughan kept breaking in 1 ‘Outlander’ season 6 scene
Back at New York Comic Con, Balfe appeared virtually while Heughan was on stage. While teasing season 6, Balfe said that Heughan couldn’t handle one particular scene where Claire was performing an operation.
Balfe was speaking about the addition of Mark Lewis Jones to the cast as Tom Christie, and she revealed that Jones had everyone “in stitches.’
“He’s great! I mean he’s such a fantastic actor but I think he had Sam and me in stitches the most. There might be a little operation that Claire has to do on Tom and Mark was just so funny!” Balfe revealed.
“Sam kept breaking every time we were doing [the scene], he would just be like, ‘Oh Jesus, oh God!’ But no, they’re great, there’s such a good dynamic having [Jones].”
Outlander season 6 is expected to premiere on Starz in February 2022.
