'Outlander's Sam Heughan to star in 'Macbeth' stage production
June 3 (UPI) -- Outlander actor Sam Heughan will make his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in Macbeth opposite The Crown actress Lia Williams.
Heughan, 45, described his upcoming role as a "full circle" moment on Instagram Tuesday.
"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," he said. "It feels full circle to be returning to the stage, after over a decade working primarily in television and film."
He portrayed Jamie Fraser opposite Caitriona Balfe on Outlander for over a decade. The show premiered on Starz in 2014.
Heughan told Deadline that after wrapping the show's finale, he was on the lookout for an exciting role.
"I've been doing Outlander for 11 years, and obviously it was brilliant, but I wanted something else. And I went to the RSC to see Edward II there, and I just felt that buzz. I sat in the auditorium and I felt that excitement, sort of the churn in my stomach as the lights went down and I was like, 'Yeah, this is the drug I'm looking for,'" he said. "And it's terrifying. And I think that's a good thing to be scared again."
Performances begin Oct. 9 at Stratford-upon-Avon's The Other Place, and wind down Dec. 6.
"Not only is Macbeth my favorite 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 honored and thankful to be working alongside some enormously talented and creative people," he said on Instagram. "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."
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