A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on.
Today's letter is O. Outlander TV Series
Sam Heughan as Jamie
If you know me at all, you know how much I love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series. There really is nothing to compare it against as far as I am concerned. These heavy, long and completely absorbing books have finally been picked up by Sony Pictures and will be aired on STARZ network in USA and Showcase in Canada. When? Possibly late summer 2014. While you read books, you of course start to picture and formulate what the protagonists look like. For Jamie, it is very clear. Red hair filled with cinnamon and his colour matching the pelt of a Scottish red deer. He is tall, masculine, square jaw and cat like eyes that are bonny blue like a bright summer sky. I would say the casting for Jamie Fraser is BANG ON! Sam Heughan excites me and I canna wait to see him poor his heart into the most beloved Jamie Fraser.
Caitriona Balfe as Claire
Outlander is told from a first person point of view and it is Claire Randall. Okay let me rephase that, it is actually Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser and the actress to portray this brilliant, smart, sassy 1940's WW2 nurse is Caitriona Balfe. I am beyond impressed with what has been shared with the public on what Cait is going to do with Claire. Claire is everything to this show. There is not one scene that Claire won't be in.
I have watched this trailer about a thousand times. In slow motion, paused and studied the scene and replayed that last scene with Jamie and Claire over and over and over again. I have chair danced so hard I have worn in my cushions.
All round casting on Outlander has been fabulous. I have not winced one time when I saw the casting choices. In fact, it just boosted my enthusiasm. Normally I get really nervous when my favourite books have been turned into movies or TV series but there is such dedication to this project to remain as close to the books as possible. The author Diana Gabaldon is not a writer but she has been there all along the way reviewing and approving the screenplays. Outlander is her baby and if she is pleased, than I am more than pleased. Are you an Outlander fan? Has any of your favourite books been turned into movies or TV shows?
Is she not the most perfect looking Claire ever? Caitriona Balfe certainly has the look of Claire and I personally can't wait to see her act the role. I've become to adore her on Twitter.
Oh Jamie *sigh* Oh Jamie! Sam Heughan has won me over and over and over for being the absolutely perfect Jamie. I've seen him now in two other acting roles and I just know he is going to nail Jamie Fraser for us devoted fans. He has "the look" and he definitely has the personality. I have this shot as my iPhone lock screen picture and my texting sound is his voice saying "Sassenach...say it with me." I am totally smitten with Sam.
I have to also include a picture and a comment about Frank Randall here. Tobias Menzie, who is cast as Frank, is hot! No wonder Claire was trying so hard to get back to him. He looks so sophisticated and gentlemanly in this picture. I love how the photographer ensured that Frank's wedding ring was present in this picture. I have to admit that I never really formed a picture of Frank's appearance in my head but Outlander Starz has really nailed these casting roles.
STARZ - Outlander - A STARZ Original Series: have treated their fans just excellent since day 1. We have been one lucky group of fans to have been granted access (via Twitter) to the stars themselves, the costume department, their amazing writers and even the genius behind it all, Ron Moore. If you don't have Twitter but do have Facebook, there are literally a plethora of fan sites set up that share all the daily news. I really like Outlander Fans , there is of course the Outlander Starz page and if you really want to be engaged in all things Outlander including books I recommend My Outlander Purgatory and Outlandish Observations as my two favourites. If you want to see more of the cast in costume, just click on this link and enjoy! I for one am a very happy fan!
I am heading off to the UK on Friday. I'll be gone for 10 action packed FULL days. I am trying to cram as much into my trip as I can.
Many of the places that I will be visiting in England and Scotland stem from the various romance novels I have read over the years. In England I am going to walk down St James's Street, see White's from the outside and saunter along the Serpentine in Hyde Park. Of course, the Tower of London is on the list too!
In Scotland I am focusing on many of the places mentioned in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.
Mostly I am going to soak up the landscape of the Highlands and just imagine what it was like to live in the times that I read about so often.
Is it Friday yet?
So what about you?
Have you read a book that prompted you to take a trip to see the setting?
When there is a huge fan following as there is with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, each fan has and is entitled to their own impression as to what the characters look like.
Many take hours to scour the internet looking for pictures of ginger headed actors and curly locked actresses who could best portray their visual sense of what "their" Jamie and Claire look like.
To be perfectly honest, I have yet to see any actor or actress out there that really captures what I think the Fraser's look like.
There are a few very talented people out there that have the ability to actually draw what they see. Oh how I wish I had this talent but I don't. I can't even make a stick person properly.
I have found a few folks that have really captured and match how I see Jamie and Claire in my mind. I'd like to share some of the work of Alex Oliver. I was granted her permission to share with you.
Below is a graphic screen shot of her visual interpretation of my most favourite scene in the entire Outlander series. Who can forget the reunion scene from Voyager?
Stunning portrayal of Claire at her different ages.
An exceptional job of Jamie at his different ages.
What about you? Do you search the internet looking for pictures of what you think your favourite fictional character looks like?
Millions of fans worldwide know and love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The life journey of Jamie and Claire Fraser is captured in these beloved books which are highly ranked by readers everywhere. Youtube video after Youtube video, fans have flocked to create their own imagined version of the Outlander cast or ideal for a movie or stage production. But only one man has the full endorsement of Diana Gabaldon herself. That man is Scotland’s own ginger-haired multi-talented, Allan Scott-Douglas.
Fresh from his recent gig on the Beatles Musical Tour that played to standing ovations all across Italy, I am ecstatic to have him as a guest on my blog today.
Allan, I know that you are very busy so I thank you so much for making time to answer some questions and allowing us to get to know you better.
First, let me congratulate on the huge success of “Outlander the Musical” CD. Back in September 2010, I received my fresh copy all the way from Scotland. I played it until I knew all the words and I immediately downloaded to my iPod. To this day, it is my most listened to playlist. I’ve seen “Outlander the Musical” on Amazon’s Top Seller list fluctuate as high as #4. How does it feel knowing your beautiful voice is being played all over the world?
Thank you very much! To be honest, I still find the whole thing a bit surreal... The fan base that Diana’s books have is absolutely phenomenal so I sort of knew there was always a slight chance that the CD could really fly, but I honestly couldn’t ever have envisioned just how well it’s been doing, and how far it seems to have reached. To date, I’ve had messages of support and congratulations from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, Germany, France, Russia, the U.K. and Ireland...and probably a few more besides, so apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone!
In terms of the CD’s place on the Amazon Best Seller’s list, I think the most amazingly humbling moment was when Les Miserables was having it’s huge worldwide 25th Anniversary celebrations, which included a star-studded performance at the O2 Arena in London which was screened live to over 100 cinemas worldwide and a brand new 25th Anniversary Edition CD – in their anniversary week, when their celebrations were in full flow and #LesMis25 was a worldwide Twitter trending topic...Outlander The Musical outsold Les Mis - comfortaby! (if memory serves, we were some 5 or 6 places above them for the entire week) Being a huge Les Mis fan myself, that was the moment that really made me go ‘wow, this thing could be absolutely huge!’
Can you tell us how you came about earning the lead role as Jamie for “Outlander the Musical” CD and how long did it take to record those beautiful songs?
Pure dumb luck really... A wonderful actress named ‘Anne Kane Howie’, with whom I had recently performed in a critically acclaimed new imagining of the legend of King Arthur, contacted me and said that a writer/director friend of hers (Mike Gibb) was looking for someone to record a few songs for a CD and that the character was tall and red-haired. When she mentioned me to Mike she basically said ‘I worked with Allan on ‘King Arthur’, he’s tall and ginger, but I’ve got no idea if he can sing or not...’.
Fortunately Mike contacted me and asked me to have a look at one of the songs from the CD (‘I Am Ready’) and come up to Dundee to audition for him and his fellow writer Kevin Walsh – I was suffering with a very bad throat infection at the time so I feared the worst but, fortunately (depending on whether you believe in fate or not) my voice held up and they offered me the job there and then!
For my part, I think I was Kevin’s recording studio for about 4 days in total to get all of the songs the way we all wanted them...and I was delighted with the results when the CD was edited and ready to go!
I have! I’ve read ‘Outlander’ itself (‘Cross Stitch’ in the UK) twice now and absolutely love it! I’ve also read the wonderful graphic novel ‘The Exile’ too, which gave me a fantastic insight into Jamie’s side of the story... I have started reading book two, ‘Dragonfly in Amber’, (it’s actually sitting next to me as I’m writing this) but people keep giving me jobs and auditions that rather inconveniently pull my attention away from the plight of the Frasers, sporadically! But I’ll get there – I’m really taken by the whole Outlander world and desperately want to learn more...
At several book signings and conventions, Diana Gabaldon has passed around your picture announcing that you are her choice for Jamie. Other than the obvious height, hair, and (swoon-worthy) Scottish accent, how do you feel you measure up?
First off – I am beyond humbled that Dr. Gabaldon has taken such a positive view of me as an actor, and a person, to such an extent that she has willingly stated publically that I would be “her choice”. That in itself, regardless of what may or may not happen in the future, is a massive personal and professional highlight in my life thus far! Thanks again Dr. G!!!!
In terms of how I ‘measure up’...wow, I don’t honestly know how anyone could answer that. Jamie Fraser is a hero. A true romantic warrior if ever there was one. I’m just me – a jobbing actor from Edinburgh, trying to make a living doing what I love. But I guess if there are any traits in Jamie that I could see in myself it would be his sense of humour (Diana has always said that is one of the main reasons she “sees” Jamie in me) and his absolute devotion to his family and friends. My family and friends are the most important thing in my life and always will be – I think if I was ever to do anything truly ‘heroic’, it would be for them and they would give me the strength to do it.
In my introduction I said “millions of fans worldwide”. For me, if Diana Gabaldon, the genius behind these masterfully written books picks you, then you’re my Jamie. I trust her. How hard is it to deal with such passionate fans who disagree? It must be tough to read negative reviews.
The wonderful thing about the Outlander series is exactly what you mentioned; the ‘passionate fans’. Without those fans, the books wouldn’t have been the success they are and ‘Outlander the Musical’ and any future movie or television series would never exist. For that reason, I have huge respect for the opinions of the Outlander fan base – both good and bad. It would be absolutely impossible for any actor to be ‘Jamie’ (or Claire, or Black Jack, or Dougal etc etc) in the eyes of every single fan – or perhaps even in the eyes of the majority. Everyone who reads these amazing books, or listens to the wonderful audio versions, will have ‘their’ idea of these characters formed in their heads very firmly – especially afer 20 years!
I have always said from the very beginning of my involvement with ‘Outlander the Musical’ that I fully respect every fan’s right to voice their opinion whether it be glowingly positive (of which there have been a truly over-awing number) or deeply negative. All I can say is that everything I’ve done in relation to Outlander, and anything I may do in the future, comes from a place of true love, respect and passion for the story and characters as I have come to know them – I am honoured to be a part of this unique community and will always be deeply grateful for any support, advice and feedback that I receive. It just shows how much people genuinely care about this series, and that is THE most important thing...
Okay, so let’s learn a bit more about you! I understand you recently visited the USA. First you were in Vegas, and then New York. What can you tell us about your experiences in those two cities? Any plans for future visits?
I LOVE THE U.S.!! America was the first country, outwith the U.K., that I ever visited. When I was 18, I had the wonderful opportunity to work at a summer camp in Derby, Vermont. I had the time of my life that summer; teaching drama, music, sports and even archery and riflery believe it or not. (it was a 4-H camp...)
Being invited to perform in Las Vegas at the 6th Annual Gerard Butler Fan Convention (in aid of ‘The Shade Tree’ abuse shelter) was an absolutely wonderful experience! I was made to feel like a king all weekend and met some of the loveliest (and craziest) people I’d ever encountered! They made me feel so welcome and like a proper ‘celebrity’ despite me being totally bemused that any of them even know who on earth I was in the first place. They have been kind enough to ask me to return next year so, schedule permitting, I am hugely looking forward to another wonderful weekend with the GALS in Sin City!
New York was somewhere I had always wanted to see – especially coming from a musical theatre background – and I was fortunate enough to have a gap in my schedule which allowed me to spend a week in the city just being a proper tourist! In Madeira, Italy and Vegas (to a lesser extent) I had been working so hard that I didn’t get much of a chance to just see the place I was in so I made the most of my time in New York, to say the least! I saw FOUR Broadway shows, did the Empire State Building, a sunset cruise to the Statue of Liberty and had some of the most amazing food ever! (even giving Italy a run for it’s money) I even had the chance to create my very own ‘Muppet’ at the Whatnot Workshop in FAO Schwartz – his name is ‘Frank Monster’ and he’s an aspiring Vegas lounge singer...watch out Donny!!)
My time in New York also happened to coincide with ‘ThrillerFest 2011’ so I was ‘thrilled’ to be able to catch up with Diana and even had the honour of being interviewed with her for a very popular web-based literary television channel. That was a very exciting and unexpected bonus!
If you had to move to Canada or USA for a production of some kind, besides family, what would you miss most about Scotland? And what wouldn’t you miss?
I’ll answer the second part first because it’s much easier – the weather!! I remember a conversation I had with one of the Italian technicians while I was in Italy – it was a particularly horrible rainy day in Florence and he said to me “we have a word for days like this in Italian” (I won’t repeat exactly what he said it as it is a little less than polite – but basically ‘a lot of excrement’), “really?” I replied, “we have a word for days like this in Scotland too. Tuesday!” I’m not sure he got it exactly, what with the language barrier and all, but my point was that weather like that was so common in Scotland that is wasn’t even worthy of special mention any more...
As for what I’d miss most, besides friends and family as you say, I think it would have to be the food – where else in the world would you take something as unhealthy as pizza and think “that’s not quite bad enough for me yet...I think I’ll deep fry it!”. We will deep fry absolutely anything! Mars Bars are particularly popular, though I’m more partial to a Curly-Wurly personally!
I am dying to travel to Scotland. I’ve read so many books where Scotland is the main setting. What is one misconception you think a traveller would have about Scotland? (Men really do walk around in kilts all day, right?!?!)
Yep, we all walk around in Kilts, chasing Haggis and tossing cabers until the cows come home...
I’m not sure it qualifies as a misconception but my favourite incorrect assumption about Scotland actually happened while I was in New York recently. We were taking a ride on a Rickshaw (which you really shouldn’t do if you have more than 100 yards to travel – unless you want to sign over your life savings) and the driver/cyclist was from Mexico. “Where you from?” he asked. “Scotland” I replied. “Wow,” he immediately retorted “your English is really good for someone from Scotland! They don’t speak English there do they?” “No,” I said, somewhat humouring him, “we speak Scottish!”
What’s on the horizon for you right now? Any more tours?
Right now, I’m frantically learning lines and songs for my next project, ‘Red Harlaw’. It was written by Mike Gibb (one half of the Outlander team) and is set during the Battle of Harlaw in the North East of Scotland in 1411. This was a particularly bloody battle involving an army from the Highlands & Islands who wanted to march south to destroy and claim as many Scottish towns as possible. I play a character who volunteers to fight to protect Aberdeen from this marauding horde despite knowing that the Aberdonian army would be massively outnumbered by the invaders from the north. The script is very cleverly written and genuinely touching and the songs add something very special at the right moments too. We will be performing in St. Nicholas’ Church in Aberdeen on ‘Tartan Day’ (July 30th) – the very same place where we launched ‘Outlander the Musical’ exactly one year before...and what a year it has been! Diana Gabaldon is a guest of the Lord Provost of Aberdeen for the Tartan Day celebrations so will be in attendance for one of our performances of ‘Red Harlaw’ too.
Five interesting things about Allan Scott-Douglas you want us to know?
1.I started out training to become a Primary (Elementary) School teacher.
2.I once spent a week living in a Buddhist monastery.
3.I love reptiles and would really like to have a Komodo Dragon as a pet.
4.My favourite band are actually Canadian!! The Barenaked Ladies!
5.I make the best paella anywhere outside of Spain!
Flash round Q&A
Favourite song to sing for auditions
Ballad – ‘Why God, Why?’ from Miss Saigon.
Upbeat – ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ by Queen (though sometimes the Michael Buble version...)
Favourite actor & actress (any country)
Actress – Audrey Tautou, Kate Winslet
Actor – Kevin Spacy, Paul Giamatti, David Wynham
Favourite Scottish dish
Haggis, Neeps & Tatties.
Most played song on your iPod or MP3/electronic device
Right now, the entire cast recording of ‘The Book of Mormon’.
First thing you do when you get up in the morning
Shamefully, check my Twitter/Facebook/emails...
Favourite beverage
White Russian. (or Irn Bru for a soft drink)
Favourite season
I actually really like winter! I love the snow...
How many languages do you speak?
Fluently, just English.
I do speak Italian quite well now though and I’m ok with German and Spanish.
In your opinion, one place a tourist in Scotland must see and why?
Edinburgh, of course! We have one of the most colourful histories of any city and are home to THE largest arts festival in the world!
What’s one question that I didn’t ask you today that you hoped I had?
Where is the one place in the world that you haven’t visited yet, for work or pleasure, that you’d most like to see?
I’ve always been fascinated with Japanese culture so that’s top of my list – followed by Australia as I have family there I would really love to visit! (in case they’re reading this; Dougie, Jackie, Jordan & Shannon - I promise I’ll do my best to come and visit soon!)
Thank you so much for taking the time once again to answer some questions for a group of book lovers. I really do wish you all the best, and if I ever do get overseas and you’re in a production somewhere in Scotland, I’ll aim for front row seats!
You can follow Allan on Twitter (it’s like being a fly on the wall watching Allan and Diana chat) at:
One lucky commenter will win a copy of “Outlander the Musical” from Amazon. If I happen to get 25 comments or more, I'll draw for a total of 2 CDs. (I love this CD and want you to as well)
Update - Aug 14/11 Although the CD giveaway is over, please feel free to continue to post comments. I will ensure Allan receives them.
