SAM HEUGHAN is busy working on season 7 of Outlander with co-star Caitriona Balfe as they shoot new episodes in Scotland. Some fans are keen to know about about the Scottish A-lister including if he can really speak Gaelic.
Season six of Outlander concluded recently and marked the shortest run to date with only eight episodes. But the good news for fans is the new series is now filming with actors and producers Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe confirming they had completed the first block. While viewers try to survive the brutal Droughtlander, some are eager to know more about the cast members.
Can Outlander star Sam Heughan really speak Gaelic?
When viewers first met Jamie Fraser (played by Heughan), he was with the rest of his Highlander clansmen, often conversing with them in Scottish Gaelic.
Much like the books by Diana Gabaldon, the TV show also features Gaelic, the native tongue spoken in Scotland, particularly by the Highlanders.
There have also been many scenes in the series over the years where Gaelic is spoken and subtitles are used underneath.
For instance, there was a poignant moment between Jamie and Murtagh Fitzgibbons (Duncan La Croix) following the hero’s torture ordeal at the hands of psychotic Redcoat Captain Black Jack (Tobias Menzies).
Murtagh assured Jamie he would get through the trauma and had to live for the sake of his beloved wife Claire.
Gaelic isn’t the only language Jamie speaks, he also knows English and French as well as a smattering of Latin and Greek.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in 2014, Heughan reflected on his character’s language skills, saying: “Jamie’s also been abroad.
“He’s been in France, he’s learned Greek, he’s learned German, he’s learned all these different languages, so he’s quite cultured.
“And we find out in the series, as well, that he’s not just a farm boy or an outlaw.
“You actually find out that he’s got a bit of history. He comes from a quite wealthy family, so there’s many sides to him.”
However, unlike Jamie, Heughan admitted his language skills were somewhat more limited.
Although he said he didn’t speak French unlike his co-star Balfe, he could understand and almost read it.
The star told Parade in 2016: “I failed my French exam in school, but it’s surprisingly a lot easier than Gaelic.
“I can understand French, generally, and I can almost read it. I can’t really speak it as much.”
Heughan added about learning his French dialogue for Outlander season two: “We had a fantastic tutor, and he worked very closely with us.”
Outlander also had a tutor who taught the cast members Gaelic and helped them with pronunciation.
Ironically, the only cast member to know the language was Irish star Balfe – given the similarities between Scottish Gaelic and Gaelic which is spoken in Ireland.
Ironically, Balfe’s character is an Englishwoman who very rarely speaks Gaelic, if at all.
Àdhamh Ó Broin worked with the actors on Outlander and said out of the stars, it was Heughan who was able to speak Gaelic the best.
The tutor told the Glasgow Times: “The person who could hold it up consistently and dish out the acting while doing it was Sam.
“When he got into his flow, he was absolutely unstoppable. He was just glorious.”
