Why Sam Heughan says filming &x27;Outlander&x27; finale hit hard Wendy Naugle, USA TODAYFri, March 13, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC 0 Why Sam Heughan says filming 'Outlander' finale hit hard Actors have eulogized characters they leave behind; fans have held vigils for beloved shows that are ending. So it's no surprise that as "Outlander" — the Starz hit that has spanned nearly 12 years, 8 seasons and even more jumps through time — takes its final bow, star Sam Heughan feels the anticipation of it all.
Why Sam Heughan says filming 'Outlander' finale hit hard
Wendy Naugle, USA TODAYFri, March 13, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC
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Why Sam Heughan says filming 'Outlander' finale hit hard
Actors have eulogized characters they leave behind; fans have held vigils for beloved shows that are ending. So it's no surprise that as "Outlander" — the Starz hit that has spanned nearly 12 years, 8 seasons and even more jumps through time — takes its final bow, star Sam Heughan feels the anticipation of it all.
"I felt exhausted by the end of the last season, really drained," admits the Scottish actor, 45, who plays Highlander Jamie Fraser. "Even though you go day by day and you were fine, you realized that there was always this weight to it because you knew you were gonna say goodbye and it felt like we were ending something."
The weight wasn't just the show coming to a close, but how that would change him—he's spent a quarter of his life playing this character. "I knew this would be a big moment, [but] still didn't realize the enormity of it until it happened," he says.
"Outlander," based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, leans heavily into themes of fate, destiny and history. And the end of filming seemed to have a touch of that, too. Normally after a day of shooting, Heughan would sit with his makeup artist and carefully remove Jamie's wig, that fiery red ponytail that was always firmly glued on. But on the last day, "the wig came off itself," he tells USA TODAY. "So maybe it was Jamie Fraser also kind of being done."
Heughan saves Jamie's kilt, waistcoat—and back scar
Even if Heughan will no longer be traipsing the Scottish countryside for filming, Jamie won't be too far out of reach. "I managed to get a full Jamie Fraser outfit," he says, "The costume department gave me a sort of a mix of Jamie from over the years."
Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser in Season 8 of Starz's time travelling drama "Outlander."
That includes a kilt, shirt, stock, waistcoat, jacket and boots and that are now displayed on a mannequin in his study at home. "A year later, I've got him out of the box," he says. The actor also admits he stole a variety of things from set, including trinkets, ball bearings, musket shot and candle holders.
The most surprising keepsake: "I've also got his back scar, which is kind of cool, framed," he says, referring to the silicone mold used to create the effects of repeated whippings by Captain "Black Jack" Randall (Tobias Menzies).
Heughan will also leave the show with the lasting friendship of his costar Caitríona Balfe, who plays Claire Beauchamp, an English woman who accidentally time travels from the 1940s and becomes Jamie's wife. Through racy sex scenes and demanding Scotland shoots, the actors pledged to look out for each other.
"Even from the beginning, I said when we were negotiating contracts that I wanted us to be on equal standing, and throughout the years of negotiations the same," Heughan says. "And I think Jamie's character — I just felt like he felt responsible for her and I wanted to support her as Jamie, but also myself, Sam, I wanted to support Caitríona."
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When the show began, production was nearly delayed until, at the last moment, they cast Balfe as Claire. "She was thrown at the deep end," Heughan says. "It's a huge part to undertake and she came in right at the last minute and had to contend with a lot. So I felt like I just wanted to be there for her and support her and help her.
"Of course, she absolutely flew," he says, adding, "She definitely feels like not just an amazing colleague, but a great friend."
Advocating for equal billing wasn't the only way Heughan impacted filming. In season 1, released in 2014, Jamie is imprisoned and viciously raped by Randall. Even more than 10 years later male sexual assault is rarely portrayed on TV.
"It's not something that's perhaps talked about for men and it was a very different time in the industry when we shot it," Heughan says. "I was very new to the show and there were no real safeguards. It didn't feel particularly comfortable to shoot—it was very, very challenging."
Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in "Outlander." Courtesy of STARZ
It inspired Heughan to later introduce an intimacy coordinator on set. "As an actor, you want to be challenged. And those early seasons were really challenging and really hard," he says. "I hope in some way that perhaps talking about it, it's helped some people or they've found a way to find help or support."
How will 'Outlander' end?
For the eighth and final season, Jamie faces a prophecy about his death. "Fate and Jamie—I think he's always known that there would be something big to face," he says.
He stops to avoid any possible spoilers, even though both he and Balfe don't know exactly how the show will end —the crew filmed multiple options to avoid spoilers leaking. "We obviously know what we shot," he says. "There was definitely an ending that I thought should happen and a lot of people pushed for. But I'm as excited as the fans are."
Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan, costars of 'Outlander.'
Jamie's possible fate helped Heughan prepare to walk away: "Jamie's essentially putting his affairs in order," he says, "And so there's a lot of goodbyes in the show, but also for us, it was a lot of goodbyes in real life. It actually added a lot to the show—it gave us a real weight and a sense of occasion, and also sadness, to say goodbye to so many friends and colleagues."
Now at work on "Embassy," a present day spy thriller with Anna Kendrick, he'll get a break from challenging location shoots in his beloved native Scotland. "I think the hardest days were also the most beautiful," he says. "When you're standing on a hill in a forest on a mountaintop and it's freezing cold, but you've also got this amazing view...sometimes you're like, God, it's 6:00 AM and you're exhausted. But you're standing looking at this view, and you're like, 'Well, who else is doing this right now?'" A man in control of his own destiny.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sam Heughan framed Jamie's back scar after filming 'Outlander' finale
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Published: March 14, 2026 at 12:36AM on Source: RED MAG
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