Outlander season 5 notes: A notable exit; Sam Heughan’s whisky planning
In a post last night, Nick Heckstall-Smith said goodbye to the series and his long-tenured post of first assistant director. This is one of the most important positions on a crew since they help to manage a great deal of the action on set, from the specific needs of the director to making sure the logistics of various issues on set are properly cared for. They usually have a good rapport with much of the cast and crew, which makes sense given that they spend a substantial amount of time with them on set.
When you are working on a show like Outlander, the crew often does become your family. You work insane hours with them sometimes out on location. It can be a tiring job, but a worthwhile one because of the relationships that you help to manage. The majority of the bonds between cast and crew members you never really hear about because they are just person-to-person relationships. There’s only so much of the filming relationship that is digestible on social media.
Some of Heckstall-Smith’s other notable credits as a first AD include 24: Live Another Day and Homeland — he’s also going to be a part of the upcoming Carnival Row, so there will be more of his work arriving down the road. Anytime that Outlander loses someone who has been a part of the world from the very first episode, it’s a big deal and Nick deserves some applause — he notes in his Twitter post that he worked on the show for six years, and that is basically an eternity within the TV business.
Oh, and truth to what Nick is saying about the mud — with the recent weather in Scotland he’s been dealing with a lot of that as of late.
Sam Heughan readies his whisky launch
We know that Sam’s been working for some time on the lunch of his whisky via Great Glen Company, and it seems as though he’s inching closer to launching! The post HERE (via Sam’s Instagram) is proof that they’re working on perfecting a blend — isn’t that exciting news for all whisky lovers out there? We’ve learned a lot just by reading about the company the past few years, including that whisky is one of those words that is spelled differently in the UK than it is here Stateside!
There isn’t an official launch date for Sam’s contribution to the spirits world, but that’s certainly something we’re looking forward to having more news on soon. This is great news for Sam — it absolutely beats a bird pooping on him during the production of the show yesterday.
As always, we welcome your thoughts on this Outlander story below — also, check back soon for some other news and updates.
Photo: Starz