Sam Heughan promises fuller storylines and ‘really great performances’ as ‘Outlander’ returns for Season 6

As a TV character, Jamie Fraser, the 18th-century highlander at the heart of time travel drama “Outlander,” has endured more than most.

He has been stabbed, shot, flogged, tortured and raped, nearly died on the battlefield, nearly died from snake bite, nearly let himself die from emotional trauma and been imprisoned more than once. And the people he loves have also endured horrors, including kidnap, rape and violent death.

But Sam Heughan, the 41-year-old Scottish actor who plays Jamie, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We certainly feel challenged all the time by the storylines,” Heughan said in a video interview, ahead of Sunday’s long awaited Season 6 premiere of “Outlander” after a 22-month “droughtlander.” “I think that’s what maybe keeps the viewer engaged and certainly, as an actor, you’re always being challenged or being surprised by the characters and the situations, so I think we’re very lucky with the show.”

Heughan, as most fans would already know, was a 34-year-old “jobbing actor” considering throwing in the towel after failing to get anywhere in L.A. (unless you count playing Batman in a “Batman Live” stage tour) when he moved back to the U.K. and auditioned for “Outlander.” It’s little surprise he feels lucky to still be playing Jamie six seasons in, with a seventh season already in the works.

The enormously popular show, which debuted in 2014, is based on the beloved “Outlander” novels by Diana Gabaldon, about a British Second World War nurse named Claire Beauchamp who accidentally travels 200 years back in time, where she meets and marries Jamie, the love of her life, despite already being married to a man in her timeline.

The adventures of Claire (played by Irish actor Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie have taken them from Scotland to France to Jamaica to the United States, where they have settled in North Carolina with their extended family.

When Season 6 opens, it’s 1773, the American Revolutionary War is just two years away and there seems no chance of the Fraser family staying out of it.

But despite the dangers, this season was less emotionally draining for him as an actor, Heughan said.

“Last season, losing Murtagh was an incredible storyline,” said Heughan, referring to Jamie’s beloved godfather being shot to death in front of him. “For me, it was an amazing challenge and I really enjoyed that.

“This season, Jamie’s in a less strong place. He’s worried about Claire. He’s trying to protect her. He’s trying to protect the people on the Ridge. He has so many different responsibilities … It’s not as hard emotionally in some sense, but his loyalties are more challenged, so it’s more of a political play for him this season. But every season there’s always some challenge … I love the show because there’s always something to play and this season is definitely more about Jamie trying to protect the whole family.”

That family — which includes Claire’s and Jamie’s daughter Brianna (British actor Sophie Skelton), Jamie’s stepdaughter Marsali (Scottish actor Lauren Lyle), his adopted son Fergus (French actor César Domboy) and their children — is a big part of the appeal of the show for Balfe, who is as grateful as Heughan to be back for another season.

“Diana created this incredibly interesting world, and we’ve just been so lucky that we get to take that and expand upon it,” Balfe said. “The premise is interesting, but I think at the core of it we explore really human issues. This is a marriage that we’re exploring in all its glory and all its trauma and all its challenges. (There’s) a lot to do with family and loyalty and what home really is. And I think that’s something that everybody can relate to.”

Balfe’s character has her own tough emotional journey to navigate since last season saw Claire abducted and gang-raped.

Although Season 6 is only eight episodes long — a result of pandemic restrictions — Heughan said “somehow the storylines feel fuller. I think we get to spend more time with the characters and learn some back story about some of them, and there are some really great performances this year from everyone in the cast.”

Besides Skelton, Lyle and Domboy, the regulars include Scottish actors Richard Rankin and John Bell as Jamie’s son-in-law Roger and nephew Ian, respectively.

Lest it seem that the show’s serious themes would make the set a sombre place to be, Heughan said there’s plenty of levity, particularly when the main actors have scenes around the kitchen table. “I feel so bad for the crew because there’s zero professionalism and everyone is just being silly,” he said.

One of this season’s new additions is particularly funny, Heughan said: Welsh actor Mark Lewis Jones, who plays Tom Christie, a dour, ultrareligious settler and an old prison rival of Jamie’s. “He’s very good at hiding it, but the rest of us lose it.”

Debra Yeo is a deputy editor and a contributor to the Star’s Entertainment section. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @realityeo