Tom Ellis on ‘Outlander’? ‘Lucifer’ Star Shares His Audition Story With Sam Heughan
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Lucifer actor Tom Ellis came close to starring opposite his good friend and Outlander star Sam Heughan in the popular Starz historical drama.
Ellis spoke with Heughan in a Q&A interview for the London magazine Square Mile, covering their longtime friendship, as well as Heughan’s background, hobbies, and his break into acting. During the interview, Ellis revealed that he auditioned for Outlander before it premiered.
“I’m going to let you into a little secret. I auditioned for Outlander, not for Jamie Fraser but for Tobias Menzies’ part, ‘Black Jack’ Randall,” Ellis confessed. “I remember reading the script thinking, ‘This is really good.'”
The news came as a surprise to Heughan, who plays the aforementioned Jamie Fraser in the series. “Firstly, dude, I’m not sure how I’d have felt having you, I don’t know, ‘assault’ me, shall we say?” Heughan told his close friend.
Heughan was referencing a traumatic scene from Outlander‘s first season in which Jamie is raped by Randall at Wentworth Prison. Ellis admitted that it would have been a “tricky” scene to film.
“That would have been quite tricky, but I know we would have had a great time,” Heughan added. “Actually, you would have been brilliant at that because Frank Randall is this charming, loveable character and then Black Jack, the other part you would have had to play, is just violent.”
Menzies played the dual role across the show’s first four seasons, portraying both the sadistic British officer Black Jack and his far-in-the-future relative, historian Frank Randall.
“It’s a great part,” Heaughan continued. “Tobias, of course, does an amazing job but that would have been so different. ”
The sixth season of the much-loved drama is expected to return in March 2022, a milestone Heughan never thought they’d reach when he first joined the series. “I remember the first day being driven in by my driver. He asked, ‘How long do you think it’s going to go for?'” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Two years max, that will be it.’ We’re into our eighth year and we’re still going.”
Outlander, Season 6, Premiere, March 6, Starz
