Outlander's Sam Heughan to star as Macbeth in theatre debut
Outlander star Sam Heughan is set to return to the stage for his theatre debut as Macbeth, at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It comes as they announced their line-up of events for the year ahead, and into 2026.
Among a stellar line-up of plays to take place, Heughan was delighted to announce he will star in a leading role of RSC's latest version of Macbeth at William Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Scots actor, famed for portraying Jamie Fraser in hit historical romance programme Outlander, admitted his dreams have come true as he landed the role. He will feature alongside The Day Of The Jackal actress Lia Williams, starring as Lady Macbeth.
Discussing his new role, Sam,45, said: "At age 18, standing on the main stage of the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, playing 'spear-carrier number 2' (essentially a glorified extra) in a production of Macbeth, I could only dream of one day playing the infamous title character.
'It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film.
'Not only is Macbeth my favourite Shakespeare play: intense, immediate and unsettling, it also happens to be famously Scottish.
'The RSC has always been at the pinnacle of my ambition and I feel deeply honoured and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people.
'The Other Place is the perfect space to create an intense, intimate production and, like Lady M, we will be calling upon the spirits of the RSC's highly acclaimed past productions for their blessing.'
David Tennant, Sir Ian McKellen, and Ralph Fiennes are among the actors who have played the famous character previously. The new production will be shown at The Other Place theatre from October 9 to December 6.
Before fame, Sam was looking fresh-faced and almost unrecognisable on stage in the award-winning production of David Greig's Outlying Islands when it premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in 2002.
The Traverse Theatre Company shared a promotional poster featuring Sam as he made an uncanny resemblance to a character from the Twilight vampire series, sporting pale skin, red lips and bright blue eyes.
The actor was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer for his role in the stage show, reports Hello!, with it coming two years before Sam appeared in his first professional television role in the miniseries Island at War.
Meanwhile, Outlander fans are preparing to mark the end of an era as they await the eighth and final season of the globally celebrated franchise, based on Diana Gabaldon's best-selling books.
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