Are Sam and Cait Actually Jamie and Claire? A Countdown to Outlander

AN INTERACTIVE GAL CHAT

MELINDA: It’s like watching a car wreck – Diana Gabaldon posts some photo, some video, some snippet about the upcoming OUTLANDER A STARZ ORIGINAL SERIES and the first reply is some douchebag misguided fan saying (insert whining voice) “His hair isn’t red enough!” “Her eyes are the wrong color” “He’s not TALL ENOUGH” (Sam is 6’3”; Jamie 6’4”) “Her hair isn’t CURLY”. Last week there was a post criticizing Sam’s modern kilt in a Comic Con photo because a Scottish fan mistook it for DENIM although it’s a herringbone pattern blue wool, and the photo was of SAM not JAMIE. HAVE FANS GONE TOO FAR?

BRENDA: Yes, they have!! This type of reaction drives me nuts as it reeks of ungratefulness when fans act like they’ve been writing the books for the last 20 years and should have a say in the decision-making. Hello? It is not possible to please everyone, so grow up and take what you get, then get down on your knees and thank your lucky Starz that this series is getting done at all, much less in what looks to be a stunning manner (if we can judge by the trailers (which I am)).

outlander-opening-title-sequence-video

Ms Gabaldon isn’t the only author who suffers the vocal displeasure of her followers. I see it continuously on another author’s blog I follow, in cover art reveals, the direction the author takes the storyline, which character they choose to feature in a novella or (as if they have control) the narrator chosen for their books and the list goes on and on…

MELINDA: Wait, what? We can’t whine about the narrator chosen? LOL!

LEA: Ha! We aren’t guilty of that around here, are we?!

It seems as though in any online discussion you have the naysayers and that’s okay. I just prefer to leave the room when things are obviously not going to go the way I want – especially when complaining about that direction isn’t going to change a thing.

BRENDA: When an author is gracious enough to share their work in the form of books we love, as well as their free time interacting via social networks despite extremely busy lives, I think we should be GRATEFUL! They are only human with the same number of hours in a day we have, for pity’s sake.

In the case of Diana Gabaldon, she’s added sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses as Outlander films and I hope her genuine fans make her feel loved and appreciated so she’ll continue to generously interact with the masses.

LEA: From what I know of Diana Gabaldon, she truly connects with her fans – more than any other author I know.

She’s protective of the content and involved in the TV series. I was thrilled to see her listed as a co-producer when the credits rolled by in the first episode.

Being readers, we form our own view of that which we are reading. The words are the same for all but if you are experiencing only in print format, you interpret the tone used when characters are speaking and the facial expressions that, for the most part, aren’t provided by the author every time a character speaks or thinks or even walks down the street. So, I have a bit of understanding for those fans who just can’t see Sam or Cait as their Jamie or Claire. It is unlikely that ANY actor will fit their requirements.

MELINDA: Oh, it’s not the “forming our own view” part I mind – it’s the immediate whining comments to Every. Single. Damn. Post from DG’s Facebook page about the show!

LEA: Well, I guess I view the whole “Outlander now on TV” thing differently than most. I don’t expect it to be the same as the print. Oh, I want it to be very close as I don’t want the basic storyline changed or the actions of the main characters to vary from that which I know by heart. So I see Outlander STARZ as a different adventure with a guaranteed-to-love setup.

I don’t expect Sam-as-Jamie to be the Jamie in my head from all my listening to the Outlander series. I don’t expect Cait-as-Claire to be the exact same Claire. I’m respecting the professionals and expecting them to deliver an excellent TV series based in part on sound advice from the author. But since it is another medium, I have to allow the actors to put their own spin on the characters and those in casting to choose the right actors. From what I have read, selecting the leads was not done in a slipshod manner.

Jamie and Claire

MELINDA: Even Gabaldon, in the San Diego ComicCon panel discussion, admits that when she saw the photos of Sam on IMDB, she thought he was all wrong but when she saw the audition video, he became Jamie. He’s a very attractive man – and, yeah, his hair is actually red. Will he be your Jamie?

BRENDA: I’d hate to burst anyone’s bubble but according to the gals from The Outlander Podcast, although Sam Heughan’s hair is red, it has been experimented with and dyed until they came up with the perfect shade of red to be “Jamie’s” hair color. I think the hairstylists nailed it! I’m not a big fan of men with red hair but Sam’s as Jamie is gorgeous. One look at the first trailer with Sam in Jamie attire and he slid into the spot with a solid thunk – perfection in a kilt. I can say the same for Caitriona Balfe as Claire – I didn’t have a detailed picture in my mind but when I saw her lean against that standing stone for the first time she was Claire – period.

LEA: From the first moment I saw Cait, she was a completely acceptable TV Claire for me. She just had the right look and feel – very attractive but not drop dead gorgeous, with a wholesome sort of look. Although I thought Sam a good choice for Jamie, he wasn’t my ideal at first. But after seeing a number of the trailers, I thought him fairly perfect!

MELINDA: My favorite book covers are those that do not show the face – I actually only imagine the characters vaguely, not as actual, fully realized people. The covers give me just enough to put a notion in my head without actually making me see the whole picture. I did not have a fully formed Jamie in my head – not Liam Neesom, or Sean Connery, or Gerard Butler. I recall the casting of Christopher Reeve as Superman in 1978. I had never heard of him, but after he was cast and they made him go through some serious body-building, he became Superman totally for me. So I have it in mind that on screen, Sam will become Jamie for me as well, since I don’t have a fully-fledged Jamie in my head. Do you?

BRENDA: I too prefer book covers that don’t show faces. To go one step further, I actively avoid book conversations that ask for opinions on movie stars you picture as lead characters. I don’t want an image superimposed over my own nebulous envisioning as I read. Yes, I realize in real life the number of gorgeous hot guys and beautiful fit women will never come close to the number found in romancelandia. But isn’t that the point – we get to use our imagination when reading / listening to romance and one of the top reasons we read / listen is for enjoyment and escape. If I’m escaping then the people I’m hanging with will be good looking, generally not struggling with money issues and they’ll get a sigh worthy HEA before I leave them. I know that last part on my escape list will take longer when watching a TV series but the view of Sam Heughan as Jamie and Caitriona Balfe as Claire will be so worth the wait.

Melinda, your mention of some serious body-building for Christopher Reeves is also true of Sam Heughan. He was a triathlete and had the lean runner / swimmer’s body to prove it. But now – wowsa – big kudos to whoever designed his workout regime as he’s bulked up through the shoulders and arms without over doing it – to quote Summer from Outlander Podcast – “He looks like someone who’s been out there in the fields swingin’ a sword movin’ hay, he looks like he’s been doing physical labor for his living and it looks GOOD!” Her voiced “good” has a bit of growl to it. ;)

LEA: I visually imagine every detail in my mind when read or listen. I clearly see the lead characters and most of the secondary characters as though I am watching a movie in my head. However, I don’t get those images from a book cover. They are strictly from the imaginings of my mind. The hero usually loosely resembles some actor I could see in such a role. The same goes for the heroine.

But with the TV series with Sam and Cait playing the leads? Once again, it’s that different experience. I don’t expect Sam and Cait to look like the Jamie and Claire so firmly entrenched in my mind after hundreds of hours of listening. I expect the TV version of Jamie and Claire. When I return to listening to yet another Outlander entry, I expect the Jamie and Claire of my imagination to return. Each are singular experiences. I will say that after watching the first episode, that the TV experience will be richer in some ways with the scenery and settings. My imagination can’t bring all that to mind.

MELINDA: I’m the same way about the faces as I am about the voices – I don’t usually imagine what a character sounds like, so when the narration is good, I just go along with the voice the narrator uses. There are exceptions – when a male narrator uses falsetto for the heroine, or a female narrator doesn’t even try to invoke a male-sounding voice. However, I do find I need authentic sounding accents when accents are used at all – maybe that’s my downfall! Do you imagine the voice of a character on your first read-through in print?

BRENDA: You’ve summed up my audio expectations with your words “when the narration is good, I just go along with the voice the narrator uses.” Although I’m more lenient with male narrators falsettos than I am with female narrators who don’t put forth an effort to invoke a male pitch or demeanor. I’m a sucker for accents – not being a language expert most narrators pull this off for me unless it’s a stereotype or caricature (like all Bostonians sound like thugs or Scotsman spit while speaking).

MELINDA: LOL but all Scotsmen do spit while speaking, don’t they? And those thug Bostonians. Man, I heard that audiobook.

BRENDA:  Right? I don’t generally hear a voice when I read but I feel the ambiance and emotion. I can forgive a lot if a narrator brings me those two things correctly (meaning they’ve pre-read the book and are familiar with the story and characters). And don’t deliver the narrative of a high speed chase with villains shooting at the leads in the same tone of voice you use for them meeting for dinner or going about their daily routine.

The caveat is, if I’ve already listened to a narrator perform characters – generally we’re talking series here with the same narrator used for each installment ie: Susan Erickson with JD Robb’s In Death series, Holter Graham with Patricia Brigg’s Alpha and Omega series or Amanda Ronconi with Molly Harper’s titles. If this is the case I totally hear the characters’ voices as the narrators would perform them and it’s an added bonus to hear the cast in my head as I read for myself.

LEA: I don’t hear voices when reading so I’m usually fine with a narrator’s performance of a character I know from print format IF I believe the character is portrayed according the author’s written word. I greatly prefer for the males to sound deeply male but there are other methods of portraying a male that sounds “all male” without the deep voicing. Don’t make him too nice – most guys don’t talk with smiles in their voice – and don’t make him sound the least bit effeminate.

Once again, for Outlander STARZ, it’s another medium. It’s a not only audible but visual. So, the sound isn’t as important to me if I see that manly man on the screen. And strangely (maybe not so strange since I’m a romance fan), if one gets the male right in audio or on the screen, I’m more accepting of the female lead. But that’s easy to say here as I think Cait looks and sounds like a TV Claire.

And the accents. I’m totally opposite of you, Melinda! I appreciate accents but primarily see their function as one of differentiating characters. There are only a few accents I can easily identify – British, French, Brooklyn, and several variations of Southern. Do I care if they are spot-on? No, I prefer an Americanized version of each so I can better understand every word that is spoken.

I’m such a wimp when it comes to accents that when I was watching the first episode of Outlander, I wished for Americanized Scottish accents! See, I couldn’t understand everything that was said…

MELINDA: LOL! Wimp! But I’m a very aural person as opposed to visual, so I hear accents even though I’m no expert.

BRENDA: Well, everyone’s experience is different, right?

MELINDA: Now here’s the real question: are we cougars for lusting after a 34-year-old actor portraying a 23-year-old Highlander?

BRENDA: I freely admit Sam Heughan makes my heart go pitty-pat – not in a “jump his bones” way – just sheer appreciation. That means I’m not a cougar right? :D

But in thinking on this, it’s him as Jamie that makes my heart beat faster. In a way, it’s really Diana Gabaldon making my heart go pitty-pat with the fabulous character she wrote. Sam Heughan (regardless of his personal charms) is so damn lucky to get to embody DG’s character. She has given him the sun, moon and stars with Jamie, even if he earned the role. Ride the wave, boy – there’s no looking back from here – she’s made you a superstar whether you realize it yet or not…

LEA: Since I know Jamie as a character so well, I’ll be seeing that in Sam Heughan unless he really steps out of line. He definitely gets points up front with the role he is playing. And since I doubt I’ll be nitpicking every detail (not my  nature), I completely expect to be wowed.

Now for the whole cougar thing? Hmmm – since I always considered Jamie extremely mature for his age, large in stature, and worn by their way of life, I don’t see him physically as a 23-year-old! A part of me acknowledges that he is sooo young but it never occurred to me in audio format that I couldn’t think he was entirely sexy. Why can’t I do the same in the TV version? I think Sam looks young enough!

MELINDA: Considering Jamie would be almost 300 years old today, and he’s almost my age in print now, I guess it’s ok to lust after Sam – I MEAN JAMIE. After all, if the author can say on public video that he has a fine ass, fans can also appreciate him, can they no?

 

20 thoughts on “Are Sam and Cait Actually Jamie and Claire? A Countdown to Outlander

  1. I totally lust after Jamie but he doesn’t have Sam Heughan’s face quite yet. Like you Melinda, Jamie doesn’t actually have a face for me. He’s kind of amorphous in the face department. I have an impression of size and strength but not much by way of definition.

    I did cringe a bit when I heard Diana Gabaldon describe her first impression of Sam Heughan as being “grotesque”. He’s certainly not that in anyone’s book.

    I expect he will become Jamie for me at least on screen and Cait is very close to how I would imagine Claire (if she had a face in my imagination). She’s not as curvy as the Claire of the books but that’s okay.

    I totally hear Davina Porter’s voice doing all the characters – so that might take a little getting used to. LOL.

    Oh, I SO CANNOT WAIT TO WATCH THIS TV SHOW!!!!

  2. Character-wise, the only thing I expect in a book to screen adaptation is that actors capture the souls of the characters in the book, that they make me believe in them. Like Kaetrin, Jamie doesn’t have a specific face in my imagination. But the actor, Sam in this case, has to portray Jamie’s charm, charisma, innate goodness and courage and, ahem, sex appeal. If he accomplishes that I couldn’t care less if he has pink or purple hair. I’ll fall in love with him. The same goes for Claire and the rest of the cast. What good would it make to have someone that looks exactly like the character descripted in the book if they deliver wooden and soulless performances?
    As you can see I’m deceptively easy to please. And please take into account that I am patience personified. i’m not in the States and I have no clue whatsoever when or if the series will arrive in my country any time soon. So this advice goes to the fandom rioting out there because Jaime’s hair does not match exactly the shade of red as described in the book: chill out and let the story unfold as the actors do their magic. You’ll enjoy it more.

  3. I have to say that Sam and Cait are as close to perfection in being Jamie and Claire that I could imagine. Yes, it’s tough to have anyone replace the images we’ve created in our own minds of these characters but let’s give the producers credit to have strived for authenticity. I watched the first episode and found it stunning. It is big screen quality and I immediately contacted my cable company and negotiated a deal to add STARZ. I’m already hooked.

  4. I watched the first episode in a movie-screen premiere in Dallas by TWC, and four times since on the free Starz On-Demand (yes, i think I have an addiction problem…). There was actually a pretty good blog tweeted by Maril Davis (co-producer) that mentioned that the reviewers fall into four camps. I tend to fall into the camp that generally love how much obvious love and time has been put into staying true to the author’s intent with the casting, story, costumes, locations, writing… I overlook some of the (what I consider minor) issues related to things happening in a different order, changed dialogue. I was most worried about Jamie (who in my opinion, changed the most from the first publicity stills to the current production), but it was obvious to me that he is a fine actor and has been prepared well for the role. Whew! Claire is perfect (and tough to play with her mix of intelligence, stamina, ingenuity, resiliance, and yet vulnerability). While there are odd moments on pace or voiceovers where i am more concious of those than I would like (sort of like when a narrator is not as smooth as you would like and you are momentarily jolted out of the story into critiquing of pace or accent), I do not feel that these are in any way significant. I love what they are doing on this series, compared to say what was done to Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (not that these two works of fiction are comparable in any way, really).

    1. I tried to find a link to the blog by stalking Maril Davis’ Twitter feed but alas I was unsuccessful. I’d love to read it – do you have a link you can share?

    1. thx Melinda – that was very interesting.

      I wanted to ask someone who has seen the first episode:

      In the books, it is Murtaugh who rescues Claire from Black Jack Randall after she first comes through the stones/captures Claire and takes her to Dougall but I saw a clip where Jamie seemed to be the one who did this instead – he held a sword on her in that clip, pointed toward her throat.

      I know from a captioned screenshot that Jamie at some point says that line from the book to Claire about not being “scairt” when he’s around. I wondered how those two things played on screen? Did it seem incongruous that Jamie would hold a sword to Claire’s throat and then pledge protection?

      It’s not a big deal but I’m so curious about it and I have to wait 8 more days until I can watch for myself!

      Anyone?

      1. The part where he holds a sword to her is on the way from where they find Claire to Castle Leoch – she mentions the place where she recalls Frank told her the British would ambush the Scots (Cocknammon Rock), and Jamie throws her off the horse before they all fight with the British. She tries to escape while they fight, and he finds her. The scene is almost exactly the way it is in the book, except in the book it doesn’t say he’s holding a sword. However, she does say “are you going to cut my throat”, so it makes sense he could have been. It’s so early on, he doesn’t really know where her loyalties lie at this point – it’s long before he pledges to protect her.

        #outlandernerd yes I’m searching my kindle for scenes now… LOL

        1. Oh, thank you – yes, you’re entirely right. Yes, that makes sense now. I got confused because in the clip it looked like the same place where she’d met up with Black Jack but I obviously got things messed up. Thx!

  5. It isn’t Jamie that saves her initially from BJR; it is still Murtagh. The parts you are seeing where Jamie says “need not be scairt” appear to be from episode 2, as she is dressing his wounds at Leoch.

    1. Oh, that’s interesting. Thx! I tried to find the clip but my Google Fu failed I’m afraid. I shall just have to be patient and wait until the show starts here. *taps foot impatiently*

  6. None of the characters fit the picture in my mind BUT I love the actors they have chosen and I enjoyed Episode 1 tremendously. I think they make a perfect Jamie and Claire and Frank as well. Let us just enjoy this series without being critical. It has been explained over and over the series cannot follow the book exactly and if Diana is happy with it we should be also.

    1. This isn’t addressed to anyone in particular – it’s just something that was percolating in my brain after reading this and other posts and various comments.

      I’m uncomfortable with some of the comments I’ve seen from fans of the series on the author’s FB page in response to the TV show but I can’t say I agree that we should be happy if Diana Gabaldon is happy. With respect, I don’t think those two things follow.

      Once a book is released to the public every reader will bring to it their own experiences and viewing lens. It is not within the author’s control what readers think or feel about a book. That is, there is no “right” or “wrong” interpretation of the text. Each individual reader is free to interpret it they way they will. Which is why I have no difficulty in saying I think Outlander (the first book) fits romance genre requirements. Diana Gabaldon rejects this entirely but I don’t think it’s up to her.

      In the same way, while the fact that DG is involved in the production and is happy with how things are going is a good indicator that the series is sticking fairly closely to the books (which is a good thing IMO), I don’t think viewers/fans have no right to dislike something in it, including the casting.

      My personal preference is to give the series a go (I am desperate to watch it and certain I will love it and watch it again and again) before voicing an opinion as to whether or not the various actors are doing a good job.

      On the one hand, as a reviewer, I believe in criticism of media and I don’t like the idea of “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” because mostly that stifles speech (and most often, women). But on the other, the level of… entitlement I’ve seen in some of the FB comment threads about the Outlander TV series and even in response to JD Robb’s announcement that the movie rights for Naked in Death had been picked up, has been pretty astounding. I’m having trouble articulating the difference clearly – maybe the difference is between a fan saying “no you can’t do that” as opposed to, after watching it, “I saw it and I didn’t like it for this reason”? But that’s not really right either because loads of people complained about Tom Cruise being cast as Jack Reacher and, while I haven’t read any of the books, it seemed like a fair criticism. And When Ben Affleck was cast as the new Batman, the internet went wild with NOPE about it. So, it’s not new and really, I do think it’s fair game.

      Perhaps, in the end, what I think is poor form is not so much, *having* the opinion, but going to the author and telling them like that opinion should matter to them or make a difference. Which is why I cringe when I see such things on an author’s FB page but I don’t mind it on Twitter or other places where the author isn’t specifically addressed. It feels like going on a special visit to someone’s house just to tell them you don’t like their new haircut or something. That just seems rude to me – not the opinion itself, but going out of your way to make sure the author knows about it.

      Then again – the first thing my mother said to my husband last time she saw him was “I hate your hair that way” so maybe I’m the only one who thinks this way! LOL

      1. oh I totally agree with your ambivalence about having the opinion – it’s one thing to do a critique, though, based on having seen the show; it’s something else to pipe up immediately every time Gabaldon posts with wah-wah-wah the hair color, the eye color, the way he smells, whatever. That is what is getting on my last nerve! As I was writing, I checked a post and saw the rant from someone about Sam wearing a denim kilt and what a travesty that was and an insult to Scotland, yada yada yada. As it turned out, he was wearing a wool kilt made by the best kilt maker in Scotland, and it was a blue herringbone pattern. Ugh. Yeah, the commenter apologized but it’s the fact that she had to jump in head first to scream foul when there was nothing to scream about that irked me.

        Yes, this is happening every day and has been for years in all media, from people in general with regards to all subjects ever. But it is that sense of entitlement – as if each commenter is due space to air his/her opinion on someone else’s post, no matter what – sigh, I just had to rant about it and when I did, my fellow Gals piped in. You’ll notice we don’t 100% agree amongst ourselves, either!

        And now people are complaining on Diana Gabaldon’s posts about the Outlander store that Starz has – they don’t like the merchandise, they don’t like the prices, wah-wah-wah, what they think about it matters (not). The word “troll” comes to mind when I see those comments. Don’t those people have laundry to do or something??? LOL! (the irony of my dissing them is not lost on me – but hey, at least it’s our blog!)

        I think if someone doesn’t have something nice to say in response to a post, THEY SHOULD START THEIR OWN POST (or blog) with their comment! And I am not directing that at anyone here – our posters/commenters have been wonderful without exception!

        Ok, the horse is really dead, not sure why I feel obliged to keep beating it… LOL!

        1. I think we are in agreement Melinda – I know what you mean. The idea of going and telling DG that you think something sucks – well I can’t imagine why anyone would! By all means blog or tweet about it by why tell her?

          Also… there is an Outlander store? *scurries off to investigates because tragic*

  7. I don’t know that they are what I imagined exactly – but I think they make a great version of Clarie and Jamie. I tend to have vague pictures in my head for characters anyway, so there fairly malleable. I loved their chemistry in the first episode, so think this is going to be very rewarding :) And I totally agree with y’all, I don’t understand people being so negative, especially in response to details DG shares – we’re lucky she’s so involved and sharing with us at all!

    1. It has been fun for Gabaldon to post the trailers, the behind the scenes photos and stories and such. We’ve been very lucky in that! I think the production team has done a fine job of capturing the essence of the story in visuals, from what I’ve seen. I feel personally responsible to bring as many people to watch the show as possible so they get enough audience to do more seasons!! I figure by the time they get to Season 8 – well, they might have to do 2 seasons for some of the books, so let’s say Season 12 – Sam will be that much older and perfect for older Jamie! (oh come on, I’m not the only one doing that math, am I?)

      1. No indeed! And even if he’s still a bit young, they’re very good with makeup these days. I think it would be wonderful if the series is popular enough for it to continue to adapt all the books. I do feel a bit sorry for the actor who’d have to play Roger Mac though…

  8. Hi,
    I just wanted to let you know that I just signed up for STARZ for the next 24 months! I called my cable provider (Xfinity) and through a special offer I kept all the services I currently have and added Starz and I am saving $20 per month! I know this is a run on sentence but I am really psyched. I wanted to let other people know.

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