Outlander’s Sam Heughan admits he ‘locked everyone away’ to ‘silently scream’ (Image: STARZ)
Outlander’s leading man Sam Heughan has disclosed his unique method of coping with the pressures of filming by “hiding” and “silently screaming” in a covert disabled toilet. The Scottish actor, who plays the beloved Jamie Fraser alongside Caitriona Balfe’s Claire Fraser, has become a fan favourite.
Devotees of the series are on tenterhooks for the second part of season seven, which is the penultimate chapter of the acclaimed Starz series, with the final eighth season set to commence next year.
During a recent panel at New York Comic Con, Heughan, along with other principal cast members, gave fans a sneak peek into what lies ahead and looked back on over ten years spent with the Fraser family.
The revelation of his secret sanctuary came about when producer Maril Davis hinted that the Outlander sets might be opened to fans post-show.
Heughan elicited chuckles from the audience as he recounted, “One of the key parts of it is this disabled toilet that became my secret place where I would go to,” adding, “Season one, if I needed a moment to hide and lock everyone away I would go there”, reports the Daily Record.
Reflecting on the past 11 years, he said, “And it’s so strange going there now after 11 years and just closing the door and taking a moment and silently screaming.”
He joked about his clandestine spot, “No one knows about it, but this was my secret place. You can all go do a tour there and visit the disabled toilet.”
Balfe appeared utterly perplexed by the revelation, exclaiming: “I have so many questions!”
Davis also chimed in with a light-hearted caution to Heughan, saying, “I feel like this is too much info.”
Balfe quizzed Outlander’s Heughan on the location of the privy, to which he teasingly responded: “Do the tour and you’ll find out.”
Pushing for more details, she asked: “Did you bring anything in? ” and continued to probe “Is there a TV mounted? A couple of newspapers, magazines?”
Revealing a bit of the set’s past, Heughan mentioned: “There’s actually still bits of blood from season one in there,” but quickly clarified to a grimacing Balfe “it’s fake blood! Fake”.
The earlier seasons of Outlander saw no shortage of blood and dirt as Jamie Fraser was embroiled in combat leading up to the Battle of Culloden.
Subsequently, Claire and Jamie sought peace in North Carolina; however, their tranquil homestead played host to numerous rebellions and intrigues, climaxing with the impending American Revolution.
In part two of the seventh season, the Frasers can be seen returning to Scotland to complete a crucial mission.
In the meantime, their daughter Brianna Fraser (portrayed by Sophie Skelton) is left fraught with anxiety back in the 1980s while her spouse Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) ventures through time once again to recover their kidnapped child.
