Friday, July 23, 2010

Will We Ever Find a Jamie Fraser?

Oh. My. God. The comments from the last post about a possible Jamie have been delicious. Seriously.

I get what was said about the eyes not being cat-like enough... and him not being big enough (although that might be able to be remedied with lifting and body-building; depends on the actor's bone structure). One thing I will say is that Tracey is right; you really have to see someone moving around to get a feel for whether they'd be a good Jamie.

Unfortch - I have never seen anyone who has ALL of Jamie's qualities and I don't think we ever will. If they make a movie/series (yawn... getting tired of even talking about it because it seems as though it will never happen - and in some ways that is a good thing) they will have to compromise somewhere.

I think it comes down to this: What traits will you absolutely, positively NOT compromise on?


  1. IMO....The accent, blue eyes, reddish-golden coloring ("fuzz" as described so often by DG) and physical size of Jamie-- must look Nordic to really be him!


    He just needs to have that lankiness that makes him seem like he's dwarfing Claire. The accent he can learn. The hair can be dyed. The eyes can be contact-ed. But that BIGNESS must. be. there.

    Also as Annabella said, the complexion/coloring is important. Like I've said previously, Joe Mangianello (sp??) from True Blood has the bigness/bod, but he's just waaaaay too dark-complected.

    Seriously, casting Jamie Fraser is going to be seriously difficult. I think we all need to volunteer to help out with it. ;-)

  3. Definately the BIGness of him is important. And IMO he either has to BE Scottish or has to be able to do an authentic sounding accent. If the accent is off it will really really bug me. :)

  4. Size and skin coloring are the most important I think. Hair, eye color, and accent can be altered.

    I've never quite got his facial structure, cheeks, chin, etc in my head yet.

    If they ever really do a movie, it may have to be an unknown actor.
    Maybe there's the perfect Jamie out there and he just hasn't been discovered.

    Oh, and body hair! He'll need body hair. lol

  5. ok, i was just going to send a long comment describing this guy i see on the train every day and how he reminds me of jamie, but then as i reread it, i realized it made me sound like a stalker and i'm really not a stalker.

    for me jamie will have to be big. not just tall and muscular. but big. big hands, big forearms. broad shoulders. big hard head. that kind of bigness can't be created in a gym.

    and the coloring is very important. not just the red hair. but the way his skin takes to the sun.

  6. Whoa..I just googled Joe Mangianello...very nice. I think I need to start watching True Blood. ;-)

  7. I don't think that this is really what you are asking but I don't want to comprise on his acting ability. (I was super miffed with the acting in Twilight, especially the first one they have gotten better) - I REALLY don't want to be so distracted by bad acting that I can't enjoy him and the story.

    That is probably the reason I lean toward Gerald Butler, at least we know he can act and has the accent. He could beef up. :)

    Oh and btw, the guy in your previous post is SUPER yummy! I can "see" Jamie in him :)

  8. I agree with everyone so far... size and coloring really are most important. My Jamie image is more like Kevin McKidd. He has the height and facial features, but I'm not sure he could pull off a younger Jamie anymore. Thoughts?

  9. Height...he's got to dwarf the other actors.

  10. 1. Convincing Scottish accent. If he can't do the brogue, don't even TALK to me about casting him!

    2. Strong, manly hands.

  11. maryse said "that kind of bigness can't be created in a gym. "


    And no, you are not a stalker. Please describe said guy. Inquiring minds want to know. ;-)

  12. Jo M -- I just got to the part in the audio where Geillis asks Claire about Jamie's strong, manly hands. Heeheehee.

  13. Cannot compromise on:
    1. Scottish accent - unless Meryl Streep is playing him, I don't think anyone can do a Scottish brogue justice like a native.

    2. To play on what Tracey said, there has to be a physicalness or presence about him - when he walks in the room, you have to see and feel that he's in charge (he's the Laird, aye?)

    3. A mischevious, wicked playfulness in his eyes that can quickly turn to smoldering passion (insert your favorite hmmphmm scene here) or rage just barely kept in check (as he is when sitting on BJR's window sill while watching his wife being attacked, aye?)

    4. I'd love for his coloring to match - you can fake red hair, but I'd like to see the sun glinting off the golden/red hair on his arms and legs as well, and you can't fake that.

    5. Let's have someone that can act, okay? I'd rather not laugh as he's spanking Claire - I'd rather get a glimpse into the mind of an 18th century man trying to exert control over his wife with the intent to impress upon her that she is dependent on him for her own safety if nothing else, as would be expected for that time period.

  14. YES to all suggestions, especially your's Tracy, big thumbs are a must. I would like to add: A mouth that looks like it is always on the verge of a smile.

  15. I have to agree about the Bigness. A guy who wielded a broadsword since he was 12 is going to Huge, not just gym-buffed.

    High cheekbones; he should look like a Viking. And yes... please... a real actor! Lots of facets to our Jamie!!

  16. 1. the stunning blue cat-eyes are a must..... really the whole face (cheekbones, really straight nose, etc), but i can give a little on the whole face as long as the eyes are right.......

    2. the physicality must be there.... height, body frame, the way he moves, etc

    3. and perhaps the most important.... the acting has got to be right. jamie is everything. the actor must be able to portray all his layers..... his humor, his strength, his love.........

    omg, i love him so much...... :-)

  17. OK, so basically, we are in agreement here: NO COMPROMISE!!! We want Jamie and only Jamie. None of this, yeah, he's got that but not this. We want what we want. Big. Viking. Red. Cat-eyed. Scots. Serious stage presence. The guy that everyone remembers forever - the man had to live in a cave for 7 years, for crying out loud, because he was so unforgetable. But, take heart lassies, he's out there, somewhere, just waiting to be found. And, I have faith that when we find him, and we WILL find him, Sassenachs everywhere will stand up and say "HOLY SHITE... that's him!" No more debate, no more discussion, no more questioning. If DG can take 3 or 4 years to write one of these book, then we might have to take 3 or 4 years to find him, but find him we will. I, for one, volunteer to be on the search committee. Hell, I'll even chair the damn thing. ;)

    Really, Carol, I totally get what you're saying. Maybe a movie, series, whatever, is just too much to hope for. It will probably never satisfy us. Our standards are really, really high. Perfection is, after all, pretty hard to reach and, let's face it, Sawny is PERFECT!

  18. The hair!!! I will not compromise on the hair. It's a deal breaker. I'll take the big thumbs, too ;-)

  19. Miranda^^^ haha I keep foregetting to write my name at the end!! BTW, so glad you liked me short story...your reply totally made my day. My friend got annoyed when I would keep saying "I can't believe Carol repilied!" even though it was totally off subject. Thank you!!!

  20. Christie H,

    No compromise. I love it. I guess that's what we're

    "We want what we want. Big. Viking. Red. Cat-eyed. Scots. Serious stage presence." - INDEED :-)

  21. so basicall Chris Hemsworth would be acceptable!!!!!!! Cat-eyes, height and big strong build, young enough to play the Jamie in Outlander!!!!! Oh and a delicious voice too!!! Just needs hair colour...easy stuff!!!! Watch him in the coming Thor and see!!!

  22. Miranda, just googled Chris Hemsworth! Oh my God, he is beautiful. Slanted blue eyes, reddish hair and 6'3" - of course, hunked up for the Thor part he looks huge! He's Australian, but could probably work a pretty good Scots accent. I remember him from Star Trek - Kirk's dad in the opening scenes - the guy can act - brought tears to my eyes! Would be willing to "compromise" on this one quite possibly!

  23. I sooo agree with Christie H...

    I willna' compromise on anything! Jamie has to be perfect, dang it!
    And it has to be Jamie. He has to be BIG. Period. Big hands, big shoulders, big muscular arms, strong thighs. The mouth has to be right, full and slightly too wide, the eyes have to be cat-like and so blue it's unreal. The hair has to be exactly like DG describes it.
    The accent...Looord the accent. It's a major dealbreaker, for sure...Did I forget anything...Oh, heck I just want Jamie, is that too much to ask?
    He's out there, I know it...
    Now, as for Claire, I couldn't care less who they cast. I really coouldn't...Jamie is the one that matters to me in this series, just like I was never really too worried about Claire when bad stuff happened to her in the books (like the abduction for example) BUT...when Jamie gets into trouble, I am a complete that just me?

  24. I second the Kevin McKidd nomination, and I repeat my earlier suggestion: do a Benjamin Button on him and we'll all be good!

  25. I'd have to agree with Annabella and Jo M. KEVIN MCKIDD is my Jamie Fraser. From the first moment I saw him on "Grey's Anatomy", I thought, "Oh My God! It's Jamie Fraser!". He has the most expressive blue eyes, is left handed and even has blunt fingers, just like Jamie. It's all about the little details that make him Jamie Fraser to me. The character he plays on GA is very manly and protective of his woman. He is so very yummy.

    I also read somewhere that he has actually read "Outlander", enjoyed it, and is looking into who is producing the project.

  26. I agree with most of you...he must be BIG. I would also definitely need to see those blue, slanted eyes. I think Chris Hemsworth comes close, and I've seen him in person. He has a very large, overbearing presence as I imagine Jamie would, especially all buffed-out for his latest role. It's true, though, that no one will ever have IT ALL.

    There is a man I work with who also comes pretty close. He's about 6'4", red hair, verra muscular (you can see him almost bursting through his shirt), a light dusting of golden "fuzz" on his arms, huge hands and the nicest smile. He looks pretty fierce. The first time I saw him I ended up sandwiched behind him and a wall as he spoke to someone, and I stood staring up at his back with my mouth dropped, like a total idiot. I still stare shamelessly at him, although he knows who I am now so I can get away with it because I actually talk to him. Had he opened his mouth the first time we spoke and a scottish accent came out I would have most assuredly died. But, he did not, so my life remains. This is good, because it means I may stalk him. Even better, he gives the best hugs, and I'd like to think it's the closest I'll ever come to getting a hug from Jamie. I'm a cheese ball.

  27. What about Paul Tefler. He is scottish, 6'2", huge muscles (played Hercules), young, and his hair can be died.

  28. Has to be Kevin McKidd.