Actor Sam Heughan is currently enjoying a starring role in Starz’s Outlander series, but in a recent appearance on the Just For Variety podcast, the actor revealed that he auditioned for the role of Superman early in his career.
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The Scottish actor revealed that one of his first trips to Los Angeles was to audition for a role in the 2006 film Superman Returns. While he ended up losing out on the role to Brandon Routh, the actor did learn a bit about his own diet in the process, which wound up changing his life as a result.
“I grew up a pescatarian or sort of vegetarian-pescatarian,” Heughan revealed. “I didn’t start eating meat until I came to America when I was 24. It was all these delicious burgers and food… At the time I was auditioning for Superman. I had a trainer and he was like, ‘You need to get bigger. You need to be able to fill out the cape.’ He was like, ‘Eat more protein.’ I remember the first time I had chicken or something and just suddenly, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have all this energy. And I don’t feel hungry all the time.’”
Heughan is no stranger to the world of heroes, having portrayed Batman in a Cirque du Soleil-like stage show titled Batman Live. However, Heughan does think that superhero films nowadays have become a bit too bloated.
“I’m excited about the new Batman movie,” said Heughan. “I think that looks fantastic,” Heughan said. “I think the other superhero movies kind of lost their way a bit. They’ve become, I think, a little too obese in a way, but anything character-based — I mean, Batman’s a great one because he’s not a superhero. He’s just an interesting character. Something with a good backstory.”
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Heughan has had a starring role on Starz’s Outlander since its premiere in 2014, where he plays James Fraser, a Highland warrior who falls in love with a woman who is pulled back through time.