Those who recognize actor Sam Heughan will know that the potential James Bond is best known for spending the past five seasons as the long-suffering romantic hero Jamie Fraser on the Starz hit, Outlander. And, while Heughan talked recently about how close he was to giving up acting altogether because of a string of failed auditions right before the historical time travel saga came along, one job opportunity he didn't miss out on was his starring role in the Hallmark Christmas movie A Princess for Christmas. Now, Heughan's opened up about his current feelings on one of the first movies he ever made.
While A Princess for Christmas was hardly Sam Heughan's first role set to film (that came in the short, Small Moments, in 2004), and not the first thing that fans could have recognized him from (we should give credit to the 2004 mini-series Island at War for that), it may be the only movie of his that we can all watch every single year when it airs during Hallmark's annual Countdown to Christmas mega holiday movie marathon. So, just how does Heughan feel now about the film, which came out in 2011? Here's what he recently told Parade:
I think I am a better actor now, but I love that movie. I got to work with Roger Moore. He is one of the most famous Bonds and it was incredible. All of those jobs are the precursor to what I am doing now. I met great people.
Awwww! Sam Heughan loves his Hallmark Christmas movie, you guys! As he noted in his interview, even though he feels he's grown a lot as an actor in the time since he filmed A Princess for Christmas, he still has a warm place in his heart for the movie. And it makes a lot of sense, especially seeing as how he was able to work with the late Roger Moore, who played James Bond in seven films across 12 years of the franchise. Of course, this means that if Heughan does become Bond in the next film, it will be kind of a full circle moment, which I'm sure is very nice for him to think about.
In case you've never seen a Hallmark Christmas movie that revolves around royalty (which would basically mean you don't do the holidays correctly, but, I digress...), A Princess for Christmas follows Jules (Katie McGrath, Supergirl), who has been raising her young niece and nephew for a year after the death of their parents. After losing her job right before Christmas, Jules finds out that her sister had actually married nobility, and the Duke of Castlebury Hall (Moore) wants to get to know his grandchildren now that he's lost his son, so he invites the family to spend the holidays with him and his hot youngest son, Ashton, Prince of Castlebury (Heughan).
So, completely insincere spoiler alert for those of you without a working knowledge of Hallmark romances, but Jules and Ashton end up falling in love and marrying, making her, you know...a princess for Christmas. And, the movie fulfills all the things you look for when sitting down with a Hallmark Christmas movie.
As Sam Heughan was quick to point out, he owes a debt of gratitude to his part as Ashton and all of his early roles, because they helped him get to Outlander (And possibly Bond, OK?) as he became a better actor in the process. Along with that, though, he also expounded on how he "met great people" while doing this movie and other work early in his career, adding:
Interesting, my butler in that (Miles Richardson), he was in last season of Outlander. He played one of the redcoat officers and Tim Downie, who last season played Governor Tryon, also played my butler in a Tennent’s advert, so we have a great photo where I am with my two former butlers who are now redcoats.
Talk about full circle moments, right? Luckily, you didn't miss out on Sam Heughan's performance as Ashton if you weren't watching Hallmark in 2011; the movie will air on several times over the holiday season, including on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this Sunday, November 15, at 4:01 a.m. EST, and you can check listings for additional airings. It also streams on Netflix, Amazon, and Tubi, but for more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our fall TV guide and see what will be on television in the coming year!
