‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Is Completely Unrecognizable in New Throwback Photo
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- ‘Outlander’ author Diana Gabaldon knew what she wanted to find in the man who would play Jamie Fraser.
- Her first reaction to Sam Heughan wasn’t exactly positive
- Sam Heughan posted a photo on social media and he is almost unrecognizable
Outlander introduced the world to Sam Heughan when he landed the role of dashing Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser. When the series began, Jamie was a young, fiery Scottish redhead from Clan Fraser of Lovat with a complicated past. Heading into season 6, Jamie is a grandpa in his 50s. But he still has that signature red hair.
At this point, fans can’t imagine anyone else but Heughan in the role. But in a new throwback photo that the 41-year-old actor recently shared on social media, the red hair is nowhere to be found. In fact, Heughan is completely unrecognizable.
Diana Gabaldon had a very specific description of Jamie Fraser in the ‘Outlander’ novels
When Diana Gabaldon introduced fans to the leading man of her Outlander novels back in 1991, she described Jamie Fraser as “the king of men.” Gabaldon’s character description of the Scottish soldier was quite specific, and she had an image in her mind of Jamie’s physical appearance that included the red hair.
However, the author wasn’t involved in the casting process for the Outlander TV series. So when series creator Ronald D. Moore and executive producer Maril Davis informed her they had cast the then-unknown Heughan, she had to pull up Google images to get her first look at the man who the world would come to know as Jamie Fraser.
Diana Gabaldon’s first reaction to Sam Heugan wasn’t positive
When Gabaldon saw the images of Heughan, her first impression of the actor was that he was “grotesque.” The author explained to Tom Downie and David Berry on Outcasts – the unofficial Outlander podcast – that Heughan had “almost no films” on his resume. As a result, she only found a “handful” of pictures. And they weren’t at all what she was expecting.
The only images Gabaldon saw of Heughan were “off-the-cuff stills” from stage work and images from the only movie on Heughan’s resume at the time. It was a psychological thriller called Emulsion, which she described as “truly weird.”
Gabaldon also noticed that the actor lacked Jamie’s red hair. Which, of course, could be fixed. But she still wasn’t convinced that Heughan was right for the part until she saw the video of his audition.
“I had no idea what to expect when they sent me the audition tapes, but five seconds in, I was thinking he looks fine. Another five seconds, he was Jamie Fraser. I was astonished,” Gabaldon explained.
‘Outlander’ star Sam Heughan is unrecognizable in throwback photo
Fans recently got the chance to see what Heughan looked like around the time he auditioned for Outlander. The actor posted a throwback pic from 2012 on his Instagram Stories that was originally shared by his friend, Holly Johnstone.
In the photo, Sam, Holly, and friends were preparing to jump off the Stratosphere in Las Vegas to celebrate “Mike’s birthday.”
But fans had to take a second look at the pic because Heughan was unrecognizable. He wasn’t “grotesque” by any means. What was throwing fans off was Heughan’s short, black hair.
Sam Heughan’s natural hair color is dark blonde
Even though Heughan’s been playing a redhead since 2014 — and he showed up in the throwback pic with black hair — his natural hair color is actually dark blonde. Heughan is contractually obligated each year to grow out his hair and dye it red.
When Heughan gives interviews in-between seasons, fans can often see him with his natural dark blonde hair. The cut is usually much shorter than the style he’s required to have on Outlander. When it’s time to become Jamie Fraser, that’s when the long, red locks appear.
The ‘Outlander’ star is teasing fans ahead of season 6
As fans head into the final few months of the current Droughtlander, Heughan has been teasing fans about season 6 on social media. He announced that he’s appearing at Chicago’s Wizard World in mid-October to visit with fans and talk about all things Outlander. He’s also posting clips from earlier seasons to get fans ready for what’s coming next.
When he recently posted a photo of Jamie and Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) heartbreaking goodbye at the end of Outlander season 2, Heughan wrote in the caption, “I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying.”
Outlander season 6 premieres on Starz in February 2022.
