RTR4KSNX(1)
IN PHOTO: Actor Sam Heughan participates in the Starz "Outlander" panel at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California January 9, 2015. REUTERS/David McNew Reuters/David McNew

The producers of the “Outlander” TV series have released a new video that shows how the “charm” of the actor Sam Heughan helped him land the role as Jamie Fraser. The video will be a part of the special feature in the DVD and Blu-ray of the first part of the season.

Maril Davis, the co-executive producer of “Outlander,” appears in the video and talks about how the casting process for the character Jamie Fraser took place. She said that she had the character in her mind for a long time, ever since she read the books on which the TV show is based.

She said that the image she had in her mind was “a lot to live up to” for any actor. It was the “charm and charisma” of Sam Heughan that led Maril to cast the actor. She apparently had a Skype call with the actor and the conversation convinced her about the actor’s abilities.

Sam Heughan shared with the fans the details about how he was cast as Jamie. The actor said that he was given about 21 pages of lines from “Outlander” to learn over the weekend. He also said that he bought a copy of Diana Gabaldon’s book which had the relevant scenes that the producers were aiming to film.

The actor apparently hadn’t heard about the book series at the time of the auditions, so he tried to read as much as possible for the audition. Diana Gabaldon said that watching Sam Heughan’s performance gave her goose bumps and she watched the audition tape “over and over.”

Maril Davis said that the producers were shocked to find a suitable actor in Sam Heughan so early on in their search. The producers supposedly felt that they would never be able to find the perfect actor to play the role of Jamie Fraser, but managed to find Sam Heughan “first.”

Ronald D. Moore, the writer and executive producer of “Outlander,” highlighted some of the qualities of Sam Heughan that helped him get cast as Jamie Fraser. The executive producer felt that the actor had a sense of humour, but was still believable as a leader; he was gentle and sensitive, but also shows strength when needed.

For questions/comments regarding the article, you may email the writer at s.trivedi@ibtimes.com.au

Source – Outlander Italy