Outlander star Sam Heughan says he felt ‘betrayed’ over a nude scene from the first season (Picture: Channel 4/ Starz Entertainment, LLC)
The first season of Outlander saw Jamie Fraser subjected to a horrific rape, and now actor Sam Heughan says he feels ‘betrayed’ by how parts of that scene were filmed.
Back in 2014, the first season featured a scene between Jamie and his nemesis Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies), which saw him sexually assaulted by Black Jack.
In his new memoir, Heughan has written about filming that ‘harrowing’ sequence and that despite initial conversations about how he felt there was no need for a nude scene and the decision to show his penis left him feeling let down.
‘A clause in my contract required me to film nude scenes,’ he wrote in his book Waypoints: My Scottish Journey.
‘Even so, 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 has just released his new memoir (Picture: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
Heughan went on to write that ‘creative conversations’ were a feature of all productions, and that good art was ‘made by questioning the truth and we all want to get it right’.
However, the decision was eventually made that Jamie would be seen ‘sprawled on the dungeon stones’ nude following the assault.
‘Those closing scenes were incredibly challenging to film, even though, thankfully the nude shots ended on the cutting room floor. It was a harrowing, exhausting experience,’ he added.
‘Times have changed. The c**k shot was unnecessary and did betray my trust in the creative team a bit.
‘We don’t need to see the horror to imagine what the characters go through. Imagination is way more powerful.’
Sam Heughan and Catriona Balfe in Outlander (Picture: Starz!/Kobal/REX)it
Earlier this year, Heughan and Menzies spoke about the preparation they did ahead of filming the scene, with Menzies saying that he ‘didn’t want it to feel sensational’.
‘It was about trying to get the tone right. I was keen for it to be as psychological as possible,’ he told EW.
Outlander has been renewed for a seventh season, while a prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, has also been given the green light. That series will focus on Jamie Fraser’s parents.
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Metro.co.uk has contacted a spokesperson for Starzplay for comment on this story.
Outlander airs on Amazon Prime Video.
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The actor writes about the scene in his new memoir.