Did you have a favorite part of Scotland that you got to explore?
I think the sporting aspect of it brought some incredible experiences: playing golf at St. Andrews, being allowed to go onto the turf at the Braemar Highland Games. That was an enormous privilege, and to meet those people and hear their stories was fantastic. Every single day apart — from one when Sam had to go skinny-dipping in the North Atlantic — was sunny and amazing, so that was also a surprise. We were very lucky.
You also check out the Culloden battlefield, which is fictionalized in “Outlander.” What was that like?
That was such a pivotal moment for Scotland; I wonder if they realized at the time what the effect of that battle was going to be on Scottish and British history and, by extension, many other parts of the world. However much we can get into it as characters, nothing beats being on the actual battlefield and seeing it.
Though it seems Sam has the edge — after he triumphantly lifts a big bolder from the ground and onto a stone plinth — Graham slowly sneaks into the lead. By the end of the episode, Sam is the one who has to strip down and take the plunge. Graham McTavish is still thrilled about it.
“All I can say is that it was such a sweet moment when I was able to witness him running in the freezing rain and wind into the North Atlantic Ocean,” McTavish told Decider. “So I literally fell to my knees with joy. I know this might seem a little petty, but…”
“Very petty,” Sam Heughan said, interrupting. “Childish. I mean, the amount of jubilation and then and then also, like, as we were driving to the skinny dipping, I mean, he just couldn’t contain himself.”
McTavish said, “What was so great, we had such great weather and on the day he had to do that, it was terrible. It’s not that I delight in watching him suffer like that, but by this point, I had been put through quite a lot.”
Some might consider putting out a travel show in the middle of a pandemic a risky move—but Heughan and McTavish, weren’t worried.
“Hopefully it will help,” McTavish says. To him, the show offers its viewers an escape, albeit a brief one, from the ongoing global crisis. And the show is an escape. It’s filled with gorgeous sweeping shots of the Scottish landscape, and bite-sized history lessons. The episodes are also peppered with pranks and wagers and good-natured teasing; Heughan and McTavish share a “childish sense of humor”—McTavish’s words, not mine—which adds a real levity to the show.
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