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*The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.
In his new memoir, star of Outlander Sam Heughan revealed for the first time shooting a particularly difficult scene in the first season of the Starz series left him angry and traumatized.
The scene in question involves his character Jamie Fraser being tortured and brutally raped by the show's villain, Black Jack Randall, played by Game of Thrones and The Crown actor Tobias Menzies.
The shoot included a full-frontal nudity shot of Heughan in the aftermath of the sexual assault—a move Heughan found gratuitous and violating because of the way it "sexualized" a scene of sexual violence and brutality.
\u201cIn his just-published memoir, \u2018Waypoints: My Scottish Journey,\u2019 \u2018Outlander\u2019 star Sam Heughan opens up about a brutal scene he shot in Season 1 of the Starz show and how it affected him negatively\u2014a topic he hasn\u2019t broached in depth before https://t.co/Z00SALaWNF\u201d— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline Hollywood) 1666907318
The show, an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon, is well known for the sort of revealing full-front nudity of its male stars usually reserved only for female actors.
In his book, titled Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, the Scottish actor writes while he agreed to nudity in his contract for the show, he felt this particular scene was an inappropriate moment for titillation.
Heughan writes he pushed back firmly about the way the scene was shot but was overruled.
As he put it in his book:
“This wasn’t a moment where I felt that being naked would add to the horror of what Jamie undergoes in that castle dungeon as a form of punishment, subjugation and humiliation."
“I pushed back, reasoning that nudity sexualised a horrific experience for my character, and it sparked quite a debate.”
Heughan's account in the book comes after a 2015 interview with Vulture in which he described feeling violated while filming the scene, during which he was tricked into portraying the harrowing scene for a second take after nobody called "cut" after the first attempt.
He told Vulture:
“They didn’t call ‘cut,’ so we had to carry on. I remember feeling so scared, and actually feeling slightly like my trust had been broken a bit because it was horrific."
Heughan echoes these sentiments in Waypoints, in which he went on to write:
“We don’t need to see the horror to imagine what the characters go through. Imagination is way more powerful. Even though, thankfully the nude shots ended on the cutting room floor. It was a harrowing, exhausting experience..."
“...The c**k shot was unnecessary and did betray my trust in the creative team a bit.”
On Twitter, many were disturbed by Heughan's account.
\u201c@DEADLINE That rape scene was so difficult to watch I\u2019ve only watched it once. And I always wondered how it felt to the actors (esp Sam) going through that scene. I\u2019m really happy Sam brought on an IC on set. The work environment needs to be safe for all, men and women alike.\u201d— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline Hollywood) 1666907318
\u201cNow knowing this, I do feel like some of Sams acting in 116 was a bit painted by his own feelings and that they took advantage of this vulnerability, shown on some shots. Turned out great for the ep, but sad to know it was so unprofessional, and he felt exploited\n\n@SamHeughan \ud83e\udde1\u201d— \u300acarrie\u300b (@\u300acarrie\u300b) 1667035228
\u201c@DEADLINE The rape scene; is raw and brutal (I know many, who cannot watch it) The performances, by Tobias Menzies and Sam Heughan is a masterpiece!..It's a shame to NOW know; what was really going on (behind the scenes) and how it left a "scar" on Sam Heughan (sad and disappointed) \ud83d\ude1e\u201d— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline Hollywood) 1666907318
\u201cActors are natural born storytellers. They fire our imaginations, bring whole other worlds, countries, stories, and people to our doors. Sometimes it takes even them to the edge of what feels safe or comfortable. Sam was right about these scenes, they were brutal. #SamHeughan\u201d— welshwitch78 (@welshwitch78) 1666965654
\u201cWell. There goes Outlander off my watchlist\u201d— Chris (@Chris) 1666946456
\u201cBro. That scene was so hard to watch. I can\u2019t imagine how hard it was to film.\u201d— R (@R) 1666946048
\u201cWhen you feel trust is broken, it impacts you heavily. He advocated for himself from the beginning & brought in an IC to advocate for the cast, to ensure they are more protected than he was. Now, as an EP, he'll continue to advocate for the cast, crew, & show he is dedicated to.\u201d— \ud83c\udfd6 Suz \ud83c\udfdd (@\ud83c\udfd6 Suz \ud83c\udfdd) 1666944378
\u201cThere is a fan account on ig that continually fetishises scenes from 116 - they once posted a screenshot from it with the words \u2018he\u2019s gorgeous no matter what\u2019s happening to him\u2019 \ud83d\ude11 I certainly hope that Sam\u2019s words about that episode have an impact on them\u201d— marie \u2620\ufe0f\ud83d\udc7b\ud83e\udddb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\uddd9\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83c\udf83 (@marie \u2620\ufe0f\ud83d\udc7b\ud83e\udddb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\uddd9\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83c\udf83) 1666935130
\u201cThe rape scene between Randall & Jamie could\u2019ve been implied in the show, or shown for a sec then the screen faded to black. There was no reason to go that in depth & graphic when it wasn\u2019t even in the books. The audience didn\u2019t need to go through that, & neither did the actors.\u201d— Sarah (Taylor\u2019s Version) (@Sarah (Taylor\u2019s Version)) 1666926714
\u201cThat scene traumatized me sm, they did that for what\u201d— *\uff65\uff9f\u2727 (@*\uff65\uff9f\u2727) 1666909694
Heughan is unlikely to be overruled again when it comes to future concerns--in addition to being its star, he is now also a producer on the show.
If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, help is out there. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-4673, use their Live Chat tool: https://www.rainn.org/get-help, or visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
In Canada, help is available through the Ending Violence Association of Canada website.
International resources can be found through the Rape Crisis Network Europewebsite.