Outlander star Sam Heughan reveals on-stage epiphany in school play

Outlander star Sam Heughan has revealed the moment he felt acting could be his true calling in life.

The acclaimed Scottish performer was still a teenager when the epiphany came - during a school production of The Prodigious Snob, a play by French writer Jean Baptiste Moliere.

He said: “To be honest, if ever there was a point in my career where maybe I kind of felt ‘I enjoy this’ it was probably that.

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“I think there was just a moment when I thought, this is really exciting, I want to discover more about this.”

Scottish actor Sam Heughan shot to fame in the time-travel drama OutlanderScottish actor Sam Heughan shot to fame in the time-travel drama Outlander
Scottish actor Sam Heughan shot to fame in the time-travel drama Outlander

The 40-year-old, a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and an outspoken supporter of Scottish independence, shot to fame in his role playing Jamie Fraser in the hit time-travel drama series Outlander.

He says his experiences and wide-ranging education at the independent Rudolph Steiner school in Edinburgh have prepared him well for his vocation.

“Looking back, it was a really good time, a really warm time,” he said.

“I think the thing that really benefitted me was definitely that we covered so many different subjects. So it’s not just the academic ones like reading and writing, which obviously are extremely important, but we did philosophy and astronomy.

Sam Heughan, seen here with co-star and fellow Scot Catriona Balfe, has spoken about his school years in EdinburghSam Heughan, seen here with co-star and fellow Scot Catriona Balfe, has spoken about his school years in Edinburgh
Sam Heughan, seen here with co-star and fellow Scot Catriona Balfe, has spoken about his school years in Edinburgh

“I remember astronomy certainly, and history, you know, things you weren’t studying yourself for an exam but you still got some information.

“I think that gives you a more rounded education or understanding of things - certainly when you leave school and go out into the world you have a bigger grasp of things.

“It helps as an actor especially - you know, we’re expected to be able to jump in anywhere with a bit of research, so it’s good to have an understanding of things.”

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In a video interview for the school he relates another incident which would stand him in good stead for the future - when he demonstrated ‘the show must go on’.

The 40-year-old, who was born in Dumfries and Galloway, credits his experiences at the independent Rudolph Steiner school in Edinburgh with giving him a broad education outside of the traditional curriculumThe 40-year-old, who was born in Dumfries and Galloway, credits his experiences at the independent Rudolph Steiner school in Edinburgh with giving him a broad education outside of the traditional curriculum
The 40-year-old, who was born in Dumfries and Galloway, credits his experiences at the independent Rudolph Steiner school in Edinburgh with giving him a broad education outside of the traditional curriculum

The scene required him to shoot himself with a pistol loaded with blanks.

“I remember one of the nights coming on stage and trying to fire it at my head and it must have not been set right - I had probably messed with it - so I clicked it a few times and bore it near my ear and fired.

“I carried on but I couldn’t hear a thing for the rest of the show.”

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