‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Says Show’s Sex Scenes Were ‘Pretty Uncomfortable’ Until This Change
Outlander is a long-running Starz series that has become a fan favorite amongst viewers of all ages. The series, which premiered in 2014, has reinvigorated the historical drama genre.
With the debut of the sixth season, Outlander is a hot topic once again, and many fans are learning even more about the process that goes into making such an in-depth show. In an interview, series star Sam Heughan opened up about what it’s like to film some of the show’s most intimate scenes, revealing that he always feels “uncomfortable” filming sex scenes for Outlander.
Sam Heughan plays Jamie in ‘Outlander’
Outlander tells the story of Claire Randall, a nurse in Scotland who works as a military nurse during World War II. Claire magically finds herself transported back to 1743, where she meets a Highlands warrior named Jamie Fraser. The two fall in love and get married, even though Claire is married in her “modern” life to a man named Frank. As the seasons progress, viewers watch as Claire and Jamie go to battle with the Jacobites and struggle with the perils of time travel—all while exploring their own connection.
Catriona Balfe plays Claire, while Heughan portrays Jamie, the Highlands warrior who steals Claire’s heart. Heughan rose to prominence after he was cast as Jamie, and over the past few years, he has become a major star. Heughan has a lot of love for the series that helped his rise to stardom, but as he revealed in a recent interview, some scenes are not always easy to film.
What did Sam Heughan say about not being ‘supported’ during intimate scenes on ‘Outlander’?
In a new interview with Insider, Heughan opened up about the infamous sex scenes in Outlander. “On a personal note, they are always pretty uncomfortable. It’s not the most natural thing,” Heughan admitted. “Certainly for my character, having to go through the assault and rape at the end of the first season, was pretty tough.”
Heughan described how “I didn’t feel that supported, looking back at it in hindsight. We were making a new show, and I think… we were in a different environment. People were expecting more out of the show. They wanted to see more.” Heughan noted that things have now changed a bit, admitting, “I think now, maybe less is more.”
The sixth season of ‘Outlander’ recently debuted
Later on in the interview, Heughan talked about how the sex scenes are still present in the show’s all-new sixth season, but that they have been revamped with the help of an intimacy coordinator named Vanessa Coffey. Fans can definitely expect the same steamy scenes that they’ve come to expect, bit with a dynamic new element that Heughan is excited about.
The actor said that it’s been “fantastic” having her help coordinate the sex scenes, noting that “she’s really helped to explore the relationship… and how do we take the audience on a journey and let them feel that they’re getting a glimpse into a really intimate moment ”
For fans, the sixth season of Outlander promises to be an intense one, with Jamie and Claire living in colonial America and being forced to outwit enemies at every turn. Viewers can catch all-new episodes of Outlander on Sunday nights on the Starz network – and fortunately for diehard fans of the series, it has been renewed for a seventh season, which means that the exploits of Jamie and Claire will be heating up the small-screen for some time to come.
