Sam Heughan once auditioned for James Bond (and other insights from his new memoir)
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The name's Heughan. Sam Heughan. And it was almost James Bond.
In his new memoir, Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, the Outlander star tells the story of his life, including his acting misadventures before landing the career-making role of Jamie Fraser on the Starz series, framed around his experiences walking the legendary West Highland Way in Scotland.
The memoir (out Oct. 25) contains many insights into Heughan's life, from his relationship with his late estranged father to his early days in the theater, but he also packs it with Hollywood near-misses, including the time he auditioned for James Bond (the part that, as we know now, ended up going to Daniel Craig).
"It was quite an experience," Heughan tells EW of the audition. "It was a stage in my life where I probably wasn't ready for it, but I wonder what would have happened if I had got it."
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Nicola Dove/MGM Sam Heughan/Daniel Craig in 'No Time to Die'
EW has an exclusive excerpt below, featuring Heughan's passage on the audition and his own love for Bond. But first — would he consider acquiring a license to kill now that Craig has hung up his tuxedo?
"Look, every British actor certainly has been talked about for the role," he acknowledges. "I would love to see a Scottish Bond. Maybe I'm too old now. I know that they've been talking about making him younger. I feel like that's where they're gonna go, but who knows what's in their mind."
Heughan continues, "But he's a great character. He's a dark character. SAS: Red Notice that I did was very much my homage to the Bond world. We worked very closely with Andy McNab, who is a highly decorated British Special Forces operator. It's all based on him, the character, so in a way, it's a more interesting role than Bond. That was an incredible experience to study him and to learn about his experiences. So, I feel like maybe I've had my taste of that world."
The Bond audition is hardly the only surprising tidbit from Heughan's memoir. He also talks about the time he played Batman, his one (bad) experience trying magic mushrooms, and the ways in which the season 1 finale of Outlander betrayed his trust. We talked to Heughan about why he wanted to frame his story around the West Highland Way, how he wrote, and more. Read on for his thoughts on his memoir and an exclusive excerpt below.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did the idea of using a trek on the West Highland Way as the framing device for a memoir first come to you?
SAM HEUGHAN: Having written the other Clanlands books, I realized that a journey was easier to recount and to have those experiences. But I wanted to set myself a challenge. I enjoy others who have been on these personal adventures themselves and, at the time, I was also working on possibly doing this movie about Everest. So it just fell into place. I've always wanted to do the West Highland Way. I wanted to go on this personal journey, personal adventure — and it felt right to mix in a memoir.
I was struck by how well the various points of your walk intersect with these periods of your life. Was it a challenge figuring out how to link those things or something you were actively thinking about as you traveled?
As I was doing the walk, I was recording a bunch of voice notes to myself. I recorded over 300 of them at varying degrees of insanity along the way. I was kind of losing my mind at some points, but it made me start to reflect a lot and recall things that I'd forgotten. It was strange how it did work well, especially the trials and tribulations of the first couple of days. It equally reflected the trials and tribulations of my career as an actor. It's a love letter to Scotland, starting where I was born and raised, and then also starting my journey on the West Highland Way, it did work pretty well.
You've done the Clanlands books and now this. In the memoir, you talk about how you didn't love school. Do you find it strange that you've now become a writer at this stage of your life?
Right? It's something I never thought I would ever do. I was a bit of a dreamer and always wanted to be an actor, but never thought I'd be a writer. I still wouldn't consider myself a writer, but I do enjoy it. With writing Clanlands, there's definitely a different character there, a different voice, and it's fun to bounce off my co-writer, my friend Graham [McTavish]. On this, I was nervous because it's essentially just me. I'm still, even now, not happy with where it's finished. I knew I had to finish, but I guess writers are always like that. They'll never be fully content. But it was interesting to try and find my voice. I realized I do have a particular style of writing, which is slightly lyrical and also goes back to my passion for theater and Shakespeare.
Outlander author Diana Gabaldon writes fiction, and this is nonfiction. But did you ask her for any writing tips or advice?
We talk a lot, and she obviously is very prolific and a great mind. She does a lot of research before she even puts pen to paper. But with this, I jumped feet first and dived in and went for it. And that's how I approach a lot of things. You know, not so much prep and just more like, let's see what happens. As an actor, there's prep, but it comes to the point where you just have to do it. That's when you learn the most when you're acting, and it's similar with the walk. I knew I was going to have some sort of adventure. I didn't know what it would be. And I'm pleased that I did actually did have this quite unique journey that really did affect me.
Voracious Sam Heughan on the cover of his memoir. 'Waypoints'
The book is so personal and revealing. How challenging was it to open up about many of those things. Were there things that you were wary of discussing?
Definitely. It's something that I still feel myself cringing over a little bit. But it's also very cathartic writing it. My relationship to my father is something I kept very close to myself, and I still now am aware that talking about it can hurt other people, but it was a very personal journey and I wanted to talk about my relationship with him or lack of one. But in doing so, I'm putting it to rest. It is a part of who I am. It's made me the man I am today. So, it's important to acknowledge that, but it wasn't easy. Even that first chapter, I actually wrote shortly after his death, and I would hate to think that I was capitalizing on it, but it's certainly a unique moment in my life, a waypoint in my personal journey. And I wanted to include it.
Your roots are in the theater. You talk about that in the book. Is your goal to go back to the theater at some point?
It's definitely where I started and where the real passion for becoming an actor was instilled in me. My first professional job was in the theater, so I would love to go back. It's been a long time. It's been over a decade, so I have no idea if I can do it. However, I think I can, and I would love the challenge and the opportunity to tread the boards again. Some of my favorite plays that I've been in I've tried to include in the book, whether it's Romeo and Juliet or Theseus or some Greek plays or whatever. I tried to include as many as I could.
Do you have a dream role? Whether it's a Shakespearean character or a new Martin McDonagh play or something?
Oh my God, McDonagh would be incredible. So fun. Every actor's probably got a Hamlet in them, right? I would love to do that. And I suppose, in a strange way, the relationship I have with my father — or didn't have — would be really intriguing to explore in the play. I love Shakespeare and the language that he uses, so I'd love to do a real classic or a new piece of writing.
I was really touched by your discussion regarding the end of Outlander season 1, and your frankness about how things went down. You write how your trust was betrayed by the creative team in the degree of nudity and torture shown in Jamie's rape. How did you decide to be so honest about that? And then how have you come back from that moment over the past several years?
The world is a very different space with our approach to content on TV, especially graphic content. Even the Starz network was a very different platform. They had Spartacus, and there was a great deal of graphic nudity and violence. That's what they hung their platform on. But the world has changed, and I think the creative team would probably approach it very, very differently. They've been very careful to do that. And I guess the outcome of it was that I was the one that suggested our intimacy advisor, Vanessa Coffey, come to work with us.
I met her at my old drama school. She was teaching there and we had a number of discussions and then I introduced her to the other producers on Outlander. She's been an incredible asset to us, because she not only helps the actors find new ways of getting into those scenes that can be incredibly awkward and difficult and uncomfortable to shoot. But also, she's helping us explore other ways of portraying a very intimate relationship and also protecting everyone — protecting young actors, protecting the crew and producers. It's a great addition, and I guess, if I hadn't had that experience, I wouldn't have sought out her help.
In deciding to include that in the book, did you feel like you needed to give the other producers a heads-up, or did you feel like there's just enough trust there now that it wouldn't bother them?
I hadn't thought about it — and I didn't think it was particularly explosive. I feel like I've spoken about it before. It would be done very differently now. It was more just the way that things were operated on set. For instance, we were doing this last take, and I was told it would be cut before we got into the actual scene. But they kept rolling, and as a green actor, I didn't know that I could stop. It did feel as Jamie would have felt, very invasive and painful. But this is all down to experience. And I know that we would all probably do things slightly different now.
You talk a lot about in the book, and also you've spoken about this before about wanting people to understand the real you versus who they think you are because of Jamie. Was that a factor in writing this book? Do you hope that helps some people who might have trouble with that?
People obviously relate me to that character, and this is an opportunity for me to show that there's another side to me. But putting out my own narrative as well because it's very difficult in this day and age. People will write whatever they want about you or make assumptions about you. I wanted to be the first to put out my version. Characters are an extension of yourself, but they aren't you. This was a way for me to set the record straight, but give people insight as well.
Did you turn to any other memoirs for inspiration, whether that be something like Wild, which is also based on someone taking a journey, or something radically different from that?
At the time, I was working on the possibility of doing this movie about Everest and George Mallory. I was reading his accounts of going to Everest; I was going to play the character. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But I was interested to read his stuff. I was reading a bit of Charlie Chaplin's autobiography, and what a fascinating man he was. A memoir really is a time and a place. I guess if I was to write this in another five years time, it'd be a slightly different story, but I feel like so much has happened to me so far. It felt like a real turning point in my life getting this far. This hike really instilled that in me and made me realize that I wanted to put it down on paper.
Well, now that you've got a couple of books under your belt, are you eager to keep writing, whether it's nonfiction or something different?
I don't know. I really enjoy it. I'm working on a new Clanlands from New Zealand. And I'm thoroughly enjoying that. As I said, it's kind of fun and easier when you have someone else to bounce off of. Graham is a great writer. But as for fiction, or for something else, I've had some ideas but I would like to have more time to really dedicate myself to it. Perhaps once I've finished this job on Outlander, I'll have time to sit down. I really enjoy the process.
Can you tease anything about the next season of Outlander, which you're currently filming? What's it like having Jamie interact with an adult William?
We're on this extended season — 16 episodes, the XL version — but we're getting there. It's flying by. We're more than halfway through. William is a really interesting thing for Jamie. He's Jamie's unrequited love in a way with that desire for Jamie to be a father to him, but he can't. It's too dangerous, and he's always there in the background. It's been a really interesting part of Jamie's character to be able to play, that this King of Men actually has this side to him, this great love that he's unable to explore fully.
You've got your Sassenach whisky and tequila. You're a Scotsman, so when are you giving us the gin?
Very soon! Next summer. It's coming. I can't tell you too much about it. But we are working on a very Scottish gin. Everything will be from Scotland. And it's been a fun process — a lot of tastings, a lot of picking things from trees and eating them and plants and shrubs. I'm proud of it. We haven't quite finished the process yet, but we're getting there. And it'll be out next summer I think.
Now, read an exclusive excerpt from Waypoints: My Scottish Journey by Sam Heughan:
DAY FIVE
FUN GUYS
I've always wanted to be known as an approachable and good person. It's only human nature, I think, and when that comes from the heart, we should feel like we're being the best version of ourselves.
As an actor, however, being nice isn't always a quality that opens doors. Even though I am quite capable of playing anti-heroes, or characters with a dark or troubled core, people often fail to see beyond my natural character. During my wilderness years before Batman Live, when I was basically shuttling between fruitless auditions in L.A. and London, I was called in by the makers of James Bond to try out for the leading part. The whole thing was cloaked in so much secrecy I even felt like a real-life agent. It was so hush-hush that nobody ever confirmed that I was being considered for the main role, but I knew. Of course, it blew my mind to think I might even be in the frame for such an iconic figure. I loved Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights; he was darker than the other actors. But the real icon was another Scot, Sir Sean Connery, who had it all: charm, ruthlessness, physical presence and the accent to match. 'The names Bond, James Bond.' I had to remind myself to relax and let them see what I could do with the character.
So I went along to the Bond HQ and tried out for the casting director. Afterwards, I was invited to head up to the next floor, where producer Barbara Broccoli was waiting for me, like M, sitting in a leather chair across a large table. A replica gold revolver served as a centerpiece in front of her. The director of Casino Royale, Martin Campbell, was also there. We spoke a little about Scotland and about Bond, read the scene once, then I left. It was all so quick, the sweat beneath my leather jacket just starting to form. It was all just so cool and crowned by the fact that Barbara was charming and delightful. When I left, I half wondered whether I was about to be tested with a car chase home.
I knew there would be stiff competition, of course, and ultimately Daniel Craig made Bond his own. When I learned the role had gone elsewhere, however, the feedback I received boiled down to the fact that I wasn't edgy enough by nature. I'm always keen to take on criticism so I can improve as an actor, but the suggestion seemed to be that I lacked this quality in my real character. I could not see what bearing that would have on playing the role, but it was out of my hands, and meant to be. Following that experience, I learned to appear naturally on that level when required. Even though I was essentially acting outside of the actual audition, it became just one more thing I was prepared to do in order to land a part. I considered it to be a challenge in some ways; a performance I could pretend was really me that I could switch on and off at will. It wasn't a question of becoming a bad boy. I realized that the edge the Bond team sought could be achieved through self-confidence, which to be fair I was certainly lacking at the time.
Even today, it can be frustrating to be assessed by who I am rather than what I can become in a role. I'm sure any actor will feel the same way. I currently play Jamie Fraser, the unofficial 'King of Men,' and although it's true that I use my own personality to imbue Jamie with some of his traits, I'm not actually that guy at heart. Ultimately, I don't believe I need to be wild or unpredictable in the real world in order to bring such qualities alive on stage or screen. Having faced years of rejection, which can be a bleak place, I have a wealth of emotion to draw upon. That experience forced me to raise my game, and since then, I've always set high standards for myself. It means I'm prone to punishing myself if I fail to achieve what I set out to accomplish. I also won't stop until I get what I want. Perhaps that stubbornness and determination is also down to the Taurean in me. I don't get angry very often, but if someone tries to take advantage of me, or my loyalty is abused, then the red mist can descend. It's just not something people expect from that nice guy. You know? The people pleaser...
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