‘The Couple Next Door’ Finally Gives Sam Heughan a Role He Was Born to Play After 11 Years of Loyal Jamie Fraser Role in Outlander
- After playing Jamie Fraser for 11 years, Sam Heughan has taken on a completely different role.
- Danny Whitwell is nothing like Jamie Fraser and fans are quite happy with this new character.
- Heughan is aware of the difference in the two characters between Danny and Jamie.
Fans of Outlander and to be more specific, actor Sam Heughan are going to be quite surprised by the contrast in the two characters that the actor has portrayed recently. One of them is obviously Jamie Fraser and the other one is from the psychological thriller drama The Couple Next Door.
The best thing about being an actor is probably that they get to play different characters and be a little experimental with the kind of projects they choose. Heughan ceased the chance when he saw one as his role as Danny Whitman is a departure from Jamie Fraser in Outlander.
Sam Heughan’s new role in The Couple Next Door seems like one he should have taken sooner
Sam Heughan was still a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama when he began diverting his focus to the play Outlying Islands. His performance in the play, which was moved to London’s Royal Court Theatre after its premiere in an Edinburgh theatre, earned him a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer
Heughan made his TV debut with 2004’s Island at War, a World War II drama. He did several roles in TV shows and films before he landed the role of the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in the historical drama Outlander, which premiered on Starz in 2014 and has become one of the most popular shows in that particular genre.
Jamie Fraser’s loyalty is one of the cornerstones of his character. His unwavering devotion to his wife, Claire, and loyalty to his family members, and other members of his clan show make him an enduring and beloved character. Heughan has been playing the character to perfection for the past 11 years, but his role as Danny Whitwell in The Couple Next Door is nearly not as honorable as Jamie’s.
Danny, a traffic policeman, is married to Becka (Jessica De Guow), a social media influencer and yoga instructor. The couple has an open marriage which means they can be intimate with other people, but there is more to the relationship than this. Danny has been hiding some financial and personal secrets which will be unearthed as the series progresses. Fans are quite stoked about this series, to say the least.
Just watched the couple next door today, I am totally impressed with Sam Heughan, I didn’t see Jamie anywhere in his performance, and had me convinced he was Danny! Now that is a great actor!🙌
— Susan Grant (@GrantSusan93044) January 19, 2025
Considering Heughan’s dashing looks and compelling personality, it is a surprise that he did not do such a role sooner. He makes for a very convincing Danny who is dark and dangerous, unlike Jamie Fraser who is loyal almost to a fault.
Sam Heughan has his own notes on how Jamie Fraser is different from Danny Whitwell
The Couple Next Door is a steamy thriller that sees two extremely different couples, Danny and Backa Whitwell, and Evie Greenwood and Pete Thomas, become friends. Things quickly get out of hand as unexpected attraction, old resentments, and betrayals make themselves known.
Jumping from the 18th century straight to the 21st century was a choice that Sam Heughan consciously made so much like his fans, he has definitely not missed the differences between the two characters he has played.
In an interview with Parade, he reflected on how Jamie and Danny are two very different characters even though The Couple Next Door’s executive producer Jo McGrath insisted they are flawed, stubborn heroes.
I think they are quite different people, the reason why I chose it. I think Jamie Fraser’s, obviously, multi-faceted and multi-dimensional and he definitely has stubbornness, that’s for sure.
Then, he realized that maybe McGrath was right. So he said:
I’m talking around myself because actually maybe she’s right. At the heart of it, Danny is a good guy, but completely different to Jamie in terms of the way he makes decisions. They’re men not of the law, or Jamie’s not, but he is a rule maker. Danny is someone who’s a rule breaker but should be upholding the law.
Heughan stated that he had fun playing Danny. The show explores the theme of desire and how it leads people to cross moral boundaries to have what they want. Another major aspect of the show is the sensuality.
