Outlander's Sam Heughan reveals his biggest career regret as he looks beyond hit show

Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in Outlander
Sam Heughan as Jamie in Outlander -Credit:Starz


Outlander's Sam Heughan has expressed his desire to return to the theatre once the hit TV series concludes.

The Scottish actor, famed for his portrayal of Jamie Fraser, a determined Highland warrior, is eager to revisit his roots in stage acting.

Heughan, who honed his craft at the renowned Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, boasts an impressive theatrical resume with roles in classics like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and The Talented Mr Ripley.

With Outlander's final season currently in production and a prequel on the horizon featuring a new cast, fans are left wondering about the main character's future plans.

In an interview with Square Mile, a City of London lifestyle magazine, 44-year-old Heughan discussed his aspirations beyond the screen.

When asked about his career ambitions, he shared: "Yeah, I do. I started in theatre, I'd love to go back to theatre. I recently saw James McAvoy in Cyrano and he was brilliant. I know James from drama school and he was my mentor. I saw him onstage at drama school and to see him there is kind of an amazing journey. I feel like I've got it in me as well.", reports the Scottish Daily Express.

Sam Heughan spoke about his love of all things historic too -Credit:Instagram/SamHeughan
Sam Heughan spoke about his love of all things historic too -Credit:Instagram/SamHeughan

Heughan also opened up about one of his greatest professional disappointments failing to perfect a Welsh accent for an audition at the Donmar Warehouse in London for a Dylan Thomas play, calling it his "biggest career regret".

Reflecting on the experience, he lamented: "They gave me a day or a weekend to prep a Welsh accent. I just failed miserably."

Offering further insights, Heughan shared that the cast had been contemplating about what they would miss most once Outlander comes to an end.

In his words: "God, it's a funny one. We've been talking about it. What will I miss? I'll miss the camaraderie, the people, the routine. The routine is pretty tough, pretty full on."

He continued: "But there's something wonderful about it, going to work every day, you know you all are going to be f***ed but the end. It's hard work, it's full on, but you're all in it together."

He added: "So I guess that camaraderie and being around people you enjoy being around."

Delving into Sam Heughan's past achievements before he scored big with Outlander, he was nominated for Most Promising Performer at the Laurence Olivier Awards thanks to his role in Outlying Islands.

The play, penned by fellow Scot David Greig, premiered at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre in 2002 before relocating to London's Royal Court Theatre.

The Guardian's theatre critic Lyn Gardner labelled it as "wild, strange, fascinating and deeply unsettling", awarding it a four-star rating, while Metro praised it as a "wonderful play full of myth and poetry, sex and death".

The review further applauded: "All three younger cast members in particular (Sam Heughan, Laurence Mitchell and Lesley Hart) brilliantly trace the delicate power balances binding each of them together."

Other stage credits include Roald Dahl's The Twits at Glasgow's Citizen's Theatre, The Vortex by Noel Coward at Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and Plague over England at the Duchess in London's West End.

He even portrayed Batman for the touring show Batman Live before his last theatrical appearance in a 2012 production of Shakespeare's King John at Glasgow's Oran Mor.

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