Outlander stunt double says Sam Heughan (Jamie) does most of his own stunts

Sam Heughan’s Outlander stunt double, Mark Slaughter, reveals what it’s like working with the actor on set, and how far he’ll go for a take.

Sam Heughan can basically do everything. He writes books, makes whiskey,  participates in fitness challenges, acts on Outlander, and apparently, does a lot of his own stunts. According to his Outlander stunt double, Mark Slaughter, the Scottish actor is not afraid to dive into the action.

“Throughout all the seasons whenever I went in to do the fights, in the earlier seasons it would be Sam does all of it,” Slaughter told Express. “He’s extremely good at doing his own fights and he moves very well.”

"So, the latest one I worked on was season four with the Native Americans. That was the last thing I worked with him on and that was probably where I was more involved because there was a tackle down a hill in front of a fireplace and I had to do a tackle with one of the Native American guys. That was the only time I had to jump in. […] That was the thing I had to do purely because it had a danger element, the fact we were working close to the fire, the fact that the Native American stunt guy had to do quite a big tackle and it was little bit more technical, so just for safety reasons I jumped in for that for Sam. And then he just picks it up and just picks up the rest of the fight and does it perfectly and so well."

“He’s great,” Slaughter continued. “He’s a quick learner and his movement and his fighting skills are brilliant, so he makes the stuntman’s life very easy on set.” Bravo, Sam Heughan. Sounds like we’ve got another Tom Cruise in the making. I can already see him and Cruise filming a Mission: Impossible movie where they parachute out of a spaceship and land on Earth, or something ridiculous like that. And if Heughan’s dream of playing James Bond comes true, that familiarity with stunts will come in handy…

Of course, Heughan is lucky to have someone like Slaughter backing him up. Salughter has an extensive career as a stuntman, even standing in for Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) on Game of Thrones and in the Star Wars movies. Seriously, I’m not kidding.

That also means Slaughter was part of the epic battle against the Night King in the final season of Game of Thrones. “It was night shoots, 40 or 50 nights,” he remembered. “Luckily, for me I only had a couple of weeks because I went in specifically to be with Gwendoline and do her scenes.”

While Slaughter wasn’t part of Outlander season 5 due to surgery he was undergoing, he’s hopeful about returning for season 6. I’m fairly certain they will need him back, especially as war and battle loom ahead for Jamie.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels