Sam Heughan: Nude scenes in Outlander were 'perhaps forced' in early days

Now, Sam Heughan has revealed that he and his fellow cast members were “perhaps forced” to do nude scenes during filming of the show.

Speaking at an in conversation event with actor Alan Cumming at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Heughan said that naked scenes were “always a negotiation” with the show’s team and “it wasn’t particularly a nice one”.

Asked by Cumming whether the show had intimacy co-ordinators, Heughan, who trained in Glasow at what is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said the television industry had fewer guidelines and protection during the early days of Outlander, which began in 2014.

He said: “We didn’t and we were very much left to our own devices.

“In fact, dare I say, even perhaps forced to do nudity when we were not particularly happy about it. It was always a negotiation but it wasn’t particularly a nice one.”

He said there was an intimacy co-ordinator during the later parts of the show, which he described as “great protection” for actors. Intimacy coordinator manage every aspect of close-contact scenes between actors and have become an industry standard in recent years.

Heughan also admitted he had been “pretty much told he was “f**king terrible” at acting when he first joined the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, including his star turn in Batman Live and Outlying Islands.

Both discussed their love of Scotland and coming home. Heughan said: “There’s something about Scotland, it does bring you back. It really does.”

Cumming said: “It’s funny, we were talking about Ewan McGregor who lives near here now and he’s done a similar thing that we have; spent time in America but coming back much more and splitting our time.

“I am sure the political situation in America might have something to do with it. But it really is incredible, the feeling of being in a country like Scotland where you feel that values of not just the government but the people are much more aligned to how you feel and kindness is encouraged and expected.”

Decked out in his Commonwealth Games kilt, designed by Siobhan Mackenzie and black vest, Heughan’s sold-out event was also live-streamed.

The night kicked off with a performance of excerpts of No Regrets by Gary McNair from the Pitlochry Youth Theatre; a nod to Mr Heughan being patron for Youth Theatre Arts for Scotland and an excellent chance to showcase the young talent being nurtured by the theatre.

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The pair discussed Heughan’s childhood in rural Galloway where his time outdoors fed an imagination that led to his creative career.

Mr Heughan’s whisky and his Galloway distillery got a mention, with the actor discussing his love of the creativity behind creating the drinks, with Mr Cumming he “made some bad decisions on gin when he was 17.”

Heughan hinted at a new book, a follow up to his best selling memoir Waypoints, told the audience he’s growing a beard for an upcoming role and didn’t rule out a return to the road with Graham McTavish for Men in Kilts as he’d “love” to travel in America with the format.

He added that some Outlander memorabilia from the show may soon be available to view at his Galloway distillery, and that an official home or tour for Outlander - much like that of Harry Potter or Game of Thrones - could be a possibility, despite props and costumes being auctioned off.

Alan Cumming is in conversation with Ewan McGregor on Wednesday 29 July. The event is sold out but live stream tickets can be bought via the Pitlochry Festival Theatre website.