Outlander star Sam Heughan has said actors on the historical drama were 'perhaps forced' to perform nude scenes when they were uncomfortable, revealing that the programme's early seasons operated without an intimacy coordinator. The Scottish actor, best known for playing Jamie Fraser, made the disclosure during an on-stage conversation with Alan Cumming at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland on Sunday, 26 July.
Asked whether the cast had received specialist support while filming intimate scenes, Heughan said they had been 'very much left to our own devices'. He continued: 'In fact, dare I say, even perhaps forced to do nudity when we were not particularly happy about it.' He described discussions over naked scenes as 'always a negotiation', adding that 'it wasn't particularly a nice one'.
'It Was Just a Different Time'
Heughan, who has starred in Outlander since its 2014 debut, said the pressure was not limited to one production or one point in his career. Recalling auditions as a younger actor, he said performers could unexpectedly be instructed to remove clothing or kiss someone they had only just met. 'I remember starting out as an actor and sort of going for auditions, and they'd be like, "Right, OK, take your top off now", and it was awful,' he told the audience.
The 46-year-old stressed that practices have since changed, telling Cumming: 'I promise you, it's not like that anymore. It was just a different time.' His comments nevertheless offer a stark account of how emerging actors could face pressure to agree to intimate material while working within an industry shaped by uneven power dynamics. Heughan did not identify individual colleagues or accuse a particular person of forcing the cast to undress.
Heughan Revisits Jamie Fraser's Assault
The actor also discussed the first-season storyline in which Jamie was imprisoned, tortured and sexually assaulted by Jonathan 'Black Jack' Randall, played by Tobias Menzies. Heughan called it the most challenging material of his career, explaining that the prolonged sequence required several days of filming. 'It was horrific to do, but I suppose these are the stories that also, if treated well and done with respect, can be also revealing or helpful in some ways,' he said.
The scenes remain among the darkest in Outlander, a romance and time-travel drama that has frequently portrayed sexual violence alongside its highly publicised intimate sequences. The contrast makes questions of consent behind the camera especially significant, because the actors were required to depict characters experiencing extreme vulnerability. Heughan said productions must handle such stories carefully rather than treating nudity as an automatic requirement.
Intimacy Coordinators Changed the Set
An intimacy coordinator was eventually introduced during the later seasons, a development Heughan described as 'great protection' for performers. STARZ currently lists Outlander as an eight-season drama starring Heughan, Caitríona Balfe and Sophie Skelton. The change placed the production closer to standards that have become increasingly established across film and television.
SAG-AFTRA's protocols state that intimacy coordinators should discuss the planned degree of nudity, confirm performers' consent and ensure that consent continues through rehearsals and filming. They may also mediate disagreements, oversee modesty garments and help choreograph physical movement without compromising safety. Those responsibilities directly address the kind of uncomfortable negotiations Heughan described.
'It's hard', Heughan said while reflecting on the experience. 'I think the industry's totally changed.' His disclosure leaves one of Outlander's defining behind-the-scenes stories focused not on its famous chemistry, but on whether its actors had enough power to set their own boundaries.
