‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Changed An Emotional Scene From The Books

UPDATE: 11:50 a.m. EDT — The “Outlander” writers have clarified that their tweet about being “disappointed” was not a dig at actor Sam Heughan. They were disappointed that some fans’ expectations were not met.

Original story: Sunday’s “Outlander” was one of the most highly anticipated episodes of the Starz drama. Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s book were waiting for certain scenes during Jamie and Claire’s reunion, but they never got to see Jamie break down over while hearing about his daughter — despite the fact that the script followed the book.

The official Twitter account for the “Outlander” writers held a Q&A session with writers Toni Graphia and Maril Davis Tuesday. A fan posted a photo of a script page shared by Davis from the scene where Jamie sees photos of Brianna.

“Jamie completely falls apart, dropping into Claire’s arms, tears flowing down his cheeks,” the script reads. But that’s not what happened. Jamie was mostly shocked by the invention of photos at first and then he seemed a little emotional as he heard more about his daughter and remembered Faith, the baby they lost last season. Still, it was nothing close to a breakdown.

The fan who posted the script photo asked the writers why Jamie didn’t fall apart onscreen. “It’s our intention that all action lines are filmed. We’re disappointed this one wasn’t. Will talk more about it on podcast,” they wrote. The Official Outlander Podcast is available on iTunes or Starz’ website and should be up before episode 7 airs.

Jamie actor Sam Heughan added that he was the one who decided not to have Jamie physically breakdown. “I use action lines as guide only ‘Falling apart’ doesn’t have to mean tears, can be internal. Was my creative choice. Plus felt melodramatic,” he wrote.

He added that Jamie never met Brianna. He is more attached to his illegitimate son Willie because he has bonded with him. Heughan also argued that a sudden breakdown would’ve slowed down the scene.

While Heughan stands by his choice, there are many readers who disagree with him. Some fans on Twitter noted that they missed the scene. Quite a few felt that it seemed like Jamie had more love for his son.

That wasn’t the only change Heughan made from Gabaldon’s bestselling books. The actor also wanted Jamie to have an imperfection. As previously reported, he requested glasses for his character.

“I sent an email to [showrunner] Ron Moore last year saying, ‘How about glasses?’ It’s not something in the books but I thought it would be a nice surprise,” Heughan told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a weakness of Jamie’s. He doesn’t have many. It’s nice, and it’s something we can play off.”

Luckily, the spectacles have caused less controversy than his decision to skip the breakdown.

“Outlander” Season 3 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EDT on Starz.