Once again, Gabaldon manages to cause trouble, this time on the TV screen.
Since Diana Gabaldon’s novels (whose male protagonist “Jamie Fraser” is the literary sexual fantasy most consumed around the planet), landed in bookstores, there’s been talk of a possible adaptation to the screen. This has generated countless forums, posts, complaints, suggestions and radical opposition from those who say that this will destroy the illusion by giving it life in film form, to something everyone created in the occipital region of their brain, after consuming the books.
The thing is that the literary experience doesn’t hit everyone equally. The same way that alcohol or marijuana don’t cause the same effects on everyone. Myself? I can drink a liter of wine and walk straight, but with three glasses of champagne I become a slimy mat that has to crawl over my own drool to get to bed. This is how Jamie, for some, is something akin to actor Eric Dane and for others, is Gerard Butler, because it is so and that’s it! Clearly, each brain created its own film with this witch’s text, who we worship, guru to the Highlander cult which we all have been induced to after reading “Outlander”. As one who interprets a recipe and where Diana says ”two tablespoons of vanilla essence”, the reader will choose a tablespoon of orange juice and another of honey, each has made a different cake with these novels. My friend made a chocolate cake dipped in caramel and sprinkled with colored dragees. Mine is a pie made out of berries with cream and gelatin. And that is where the trouble begins (revolution at Jamie’s barn). Because adapting all those different cakes is hard work. The twenty-something gals want a main character old enough to fornicate while standing. Girls in their thirties want one who’s not so tender, because it makes them feel guilty. Forty-something women want one with a little gray hair (although he has to portray the 20-something kid from book one) and women over fifty want George Clooney with braids, beard and a Nespresso coffee machine in hand (because they no longer want to be cold nor hungry, and they are eager to wallow in the Lake Como, which is warmer than the Loch Ness).
Since the novels saw the light of day, about two million videos were uploaded to the Internet, and were made with extreme craftsmanship and genius by women around the world, who have edited them with Celtic music and their candidate for the throne of Jamie Fraser. I remember endless chains of mails and forum threads, where the eternal discussion was about who would portray our beloved Jamie and Claire and the not less important peripheral characters we love, such as Roger, Brianna or Lord John. I have read, while I had the time and the desire, so many atrocities like proposing Brad Pitt for Jamie. I’m sorry, but Brad Pitt is to Jamie what a cart pulled by a lame donkey is to a Ferrari Testarossa. I know, Brad’s lovers will manage a curse that’ll make me loose my hair and nails, but I have to say it because my Jamie is redheaded, tall, bulky, in his forties and looks like Gerard Butler or Eric Dane.
But then, I’m not the owner of the casting, so I won’t fight with the two hundred million fevered females who believe they own Diana’s mental copyright and say “JAMIE IS JAMIE FOXX ” (for the accent, we hire a coach and for the skin color, we have George Lucas and ILM – the company responsible for creating the effects for Star Wars and other movies). So that is how we gradually generated chaos. First came the illustrated book (did nothing for me, I must say) and then the big news: a TV series. Fearing being late for the event, before the contracts were signed, women were already sending their casting choices to Diana and checking their cable TV schedule, since no one was quite sure by then if the miniseries would be available in all countries, which station would air it or God knows what other obstacles. Because we followers of the books know, that this plague spread much faster than its antidote, and the first books were easier to get in Indonesia than in Argentina, in Cantonese rather than Spanish, and if you weren’t lucky enough to know English, you were willing to take a crash course with Queen Elizabeth herself to get on par with the festive-erotic-fantasies of your English-speaking friends. Gabaldon’s readers know about spokes in the wheel, we are used to going crazy over a phrase posted on her forum as a sneak peek to the the book that she’s going to release two years later, and live hanging from these two sentences until the damn novel lands on the shelves. And I say “damn” knowingly, because we’ve had two years of sitting on the floor stomping and re-reading the previous installments to be well-oiled for when the new one arrives. And we devour the new one in forty-eight hours (the slow readers), giving Diana a 2 to 3 years head start to assemble another deadly bomb that will destroy our homes, marriages and lives BJ (Before Jamie).
It is not rare to find us mired in discussions 400-posts long and hours of relentless banter, trying to agree on who should portray such being worthy of our worship and adoration. I have read about women challenging each other to a duel or fight each other with expletives because for one, the guy has auburn hair and for the other, is orange as a carrot. They have insulted each other, longtime friends have stopped talking for months, there have been casting wars with photos, threats, letters to all American companies involved in the movie industry and even exorcisms (source prefers to remain anonymous).
In my group of friends (people, myself included, who lived fifteen days under the same roof and held a crazy “book club” in which we read fragments from “Outlander” in a sort of “black mass”), we decided to accept whatever comes in the name of a friendship that has already lasted several years and because each one of us knows that Jamie is exactly as everyone has read it, with the characteristics that each brain (and hormones) has managed to create. Obviously, we understand that the Jamie from “Outlander” has to be hairless baby-faced cub instead of a big, savage, warrior of a man. And we also clearly know that the series will be consumed by millions of women, but it won’t even be the dirt under the shoes of the mental picture that Diana and her supreme pen have managed to create without a camera, megapixel or computer. Like all books that are adapted to the screen, it is rare that the final product manages to be liked by everyone, precisely because reading exercises the imagination and there is nothing better than that.
What do you think of Sam Heughan?
I know who you are, Wendy!!!!
I know you know. Same beast, different coat. The essence is there.
Holy hell. I can’t with that manip of Sam’s face OVER GERARD BUTLER’S ATTILA’S HAIRRRRRRRR. Gerry was the perfect Attila. :’(
A little something to get the Jamie picture. I need to watch Attila once again. That dose of endorphins is the kind that heals pain better than aspirine.
Hhhmmmm… Attila. Only Gerard Butler could look good in diapers.
Yes, that’s right. Nobody wears diapers like him except my grandmother. That pair of long legs, those killer eyes and that “I’m going to eat you slowly”…nobobdy does it better than him!
I swear I’m seeing a certain friend’s face right now as we talk about this.
“He is a good guy and I wish him the best”. That friend?
Yep. That friend.
Enjoyed the blog. I thought to have a little fun the other day so I posted a “not so great” pic of Sam Heughan on the Outlander Series Facebook Fan Page with the words “yuck” and “ugh” as the descriptive words. Within about 3 minutes, the string of comments was so long and included so many almost threatening comments, the admin had to delete the string. I found out that at least a few folks are very well satisfied with Sam. Ah, well – my dream Jamie would have been someone who looks like Chris Hemsworth except there is nobody who looks like Chris except for Chris and he’s way too busy playing Thor to become Jamie.
People won’t tolerate different opinions and we all have one, so let us wait till the series come out to see if Diana’s cast fits our mental fantasy. In between we can pick up an internet fight just for fun!
That was so SPOT ON!! Very funny!! I love Sam Heughan! I think he is the perfect pick to play our very beloved James Fraser!! He is a very charming, kind and very handsome! Not to mention an intense actor!
I’ll be buying the DVD’s that’s for sure!!
very kind regards,
Lisa
The more I’ve learned about Sam Heughan, the more thrilled I am that he will be portraying Jamie Fraser. He has the acting ability as well as the look, the intelligence, and the heart to do the part justice.
Thanks for the laugh! You summed up Outlander fans and our crazy obsession perfectly!
As for what I think about Sam Heughan, I am one extremely happy fangirl! He has definitely become Jamie for me. He has that special something – charm, character, expressiveness, presence, magnetism, hotness? It’s difficult to describe exactly, but it definitely makes him the right man to play JAMMF.
YUP magnetism that’s the elusive word I was searching for Sam’s got it fer sure…
Hey this woman over 50 is completely infatuated with one young Sam Heughan. George Clooney was never my type. but your point was well made that different demographics seek different players in our fantasy JAMMF. However please don’t think that just because we are over 50 we are all in love with Gerard or Chris I’m not never have been and find Sam to be adorable…
Me too Coco and I am also over 50
I’m with you Coco!
Well done, “Wendy”! That is exactly the feeling out there. We know, from when we first discussed “Outlander” on another site, that GB would have been perfect for Jamie – then. But he’s grown, aged, and become way too famous for any kind of role in this series. I’m happy with thechoices for the main roles and they’ll be able to grow with the series, too.(Hi, Maite)!
Does anyone remember Grizzly Adams? That’s how I picture Jamie in his later years with red hair. Tough, hard working and not overly handsome but he has the heart of a warrior/lover and that’s my take on how Jamie should look. Not matter what we all see in our mind’s eye once the series hits the small screen (TV) we will all come to see Jamie as portrayed by Sam. Lord help the man!
Loved the writeup. I must admit to being a member of lots of the FB fans and even get obsessive sometimes (having read or listened to all 7 books at least 8 times and to all Lord John books at least twice) BUT I believe Diana’s characters are known to her and if she says these are the best then ‘Sam and Cait’ are Jamie & Claire. They are very good looking actors and if they have chemistry well that’s the main issue. Book 1 was my favorite because of the newness of the plot. Now I just have to figure out to watch the show since I don’t have cable. Any suggestions?
Well, I must thank everyone for reading and say I’m happy to read you enjoyed it. I think we have to trust Diana’s choices for the cast and I’m sure the tv series will be a blast. My problems with Sam are related to the fact that he looks too young for me, I am in love with older Jamie so I’ll have to wait for the sixth season to meet my mate!.
He may be young, and we’re all waiting for the older Jamie, but his age fits the age of Jamie in the first book. And I’m in the camp of “if Herself says they are perfect for that role, then they are perfect.” I do rather like the idea of seeing the character how she, the creator of them, sees them…
I am extremely happy with the casting of Sam Heughan as Jamie and Caitriona Balfe as Claire both fit the way that I have always seen the characters. In fact I am happy with all of the casting choices so far.
I am a woman in my 50′s and have never seen Gerard Butler nor any of the ones that you mentioned as Jamie. I have always felt that the actors should be unknowns or relatively unknown. Having said that it should be noted that Sam maybe relatively unknown to north American’s but in the UK he has a very impressive body of work. Also Sony has said in TV guide that they think that Sam will be the break out star in 2014.
And yes everyone does have their own opinions and they should be respected but I would not start an internet fight just for fun.
Regards
I was joking with the internet fight, but believe me, there are forums around the world where women are still fighting over the casting choices.
Hugs
If nDiana is happy, I’m happy. I’ll take the series and enjoy it. Will it be a perfect reconstruction of the novel? never. who cares? We’ve wanted a Jamie and Claire for years. I always said to do it right they’d have to find a relative unknown. I can’t wait for whatever they have for us!
If Diana Gabaldon is happy with Sam Heughan then I am happy with Sam. Although I like Gerard Butler as an actor, he’s not my picture of Jamie. Although I am over 50, I would never want George Clooney as Jamie (yuk!). The picture I have of Jamie in my head is a long haired rock star.
Hey ladies! First of all, thanks for commenting! I’d like to point out that we DO like Sam for the role of Jamie (https://fandomobsessed.com/ladies-and-gentlemen-we-have-ourselves-a-jamie-fraser/).
What Wendy was trying to say is that as fans of the books, fans who’ve probably read them a hundred times each, we all had our own version of Jamie in our heads. That’s imagination. There’s nothing that can beat out own mental picture, because that’s our own personal Jamie.
That was what all the fan casting was about. A bit of fun. We are sure Sam (and Caitriona and everyone else) will make an excellent job. And as soon as we see Sam in a kilt saying “sassenach” we’ll love him. Heck! We already love him now!
Hope that clarifies.