Outlander star Sam Heughan has opened up about bidding farewell to the historical drama that catapulted him to fame almost 10 years ago. His comments come as anticipation builds for the eighth and concluding series of the Starz production, scheduled to arrive next year with revelations that may finally resolve enduring fan speculation, reports the Daily Record.
The discussion follows Heughan’s recent departure from a completely different project after completing his theatrical run in Macbeth alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.
During an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, the 45 year old actor from Balmaclellan shared with presenter Lorraine Kelly regarding Outlander: “You know, you’re working on something for such a long time. You become a family, don’t you?
“It’s going to be sad to say goodbye but you know, I have moved on from Jamie Fraser. But it’ll be nice to celebrate one last time with the fans.”
He continued: “He’s an amazing character and I was very sad to say goodbye to him. But actually, it’s funny, I’ve got a Jamie Fraser in my house. I managed to steal my costume, or I was gifted, shall we say, my costume. So, I’ve got a full Jamie Fraser in my house.”
Discussing Outlander’s remarkable success across the Atlantic, Heughan observed: “Yes, America. I guess a lot of people immigrated from Scotland. But yeah, it’s been going on for now 12 years. We did eight seasons. The final season is coming in March next year.”
The celebrity was on the ITV show to chat about his latest literary venture, The Cocktail Diaries: A Spirited Adventure. In this book, Heughan spills the secrets of his favourite cocktail concoctions and regales readers with his adventures in drink tasting.
He even gave Kelly a live demonstration of his cocktail-making prowess in the studio.
Outlander star Sam Heughan is now looking forward to the future (Image: GETTY)
Discussing his own spirits brand, Sassenach Spirits, Heughan revealed: “I’ve just opened a distillery in my hometown in Galloway in the southwest of Scotland and we’ve been creating spirits for a number of years already.”
He further elaborated that the book is a chronicle of his escapades, his travels, his passion for cocktails, and the people and producers who craft them.
He concurred with Kelly’s suggestion that the book would be an ideal pick for those dipping their toes into the world of cocktail creation.
“If you don’t know much about cocktails, it’s very accessible, very easy, a lot of classics in there. A lot of stories from my travels and a little bit of background about why I love cocktails,” he said.
Heughan delved deeper into the contents of the book, saying: “I talk a lot about the history [of cocktails] because obviously working on Outlander and everything, I’m really into history and cocktails – some have got classic, great history, going back to Prohibition and earlier.”