OUTLANDER star Sam Heughan has said he is “so proud” of Scotland’s football team and of Scottish fans.
The men’s national team secured a 1-0 victory against Haiti in their first World Cup game in 28 years at the weekend.
Speaking to the Press Association on Tuesday, Heughan said it has been great to see Scotland represented on the world stage.
“I’m so proud, actually, of the Scottish team, but also the fans,” the 46-year-old actor said.
“It looks like, from the outside, that Boston has welcomed them and they’ve brought so much joy and positivity to the tournament, which didn’t start, I think, particularly well in terms of its politics.”
He added: “But it’s great to see Scotland being represented, and I hope people fall in love with Scotland whether it’s through what I’m doing or through what those guys are doing.”
Thousands of members of the Tartan Army have flocked to the United States for the World Cup.
Others celebrated the victory at fan zones across Scotland.
Heughan said he was cheering the team on from home due to the 2am kick-off time but he is planning to watch the next game in Galloway with a large group of friends.
“I’m still tired from it because (kick-off) was at such a bad time,” he said.
“I wish I’d been there – I think everyone in Scotland wishes they were there. It looked incredible.”
Heughan also spoke to the Press Association about his upcoming projects and the end of the Outlander television series, which concluded its eighth and final season in May.
“It’s been 12 years of my life, eight seasons, 101 episodes,” Heughan said.
“I’m very grateful for what it did for me. I think Outlander gave me this opportunity to create my own brand, but also to help promote Scotland, and to sort of introduce Scotland to the rest of the world.
He added: “So many people have come because of that show and they’ve fallen in love with Scotland.”
Looking ahead, Heughan said there is “lots to look forward to”.
“I was lucky to do Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company, which was a really huge achievement for me – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
“And I am working on a book, actually. I can’t really tell you much about it at the moment but it’s super fun – it’s really creative.”
He said he has also just finished filming a TV show called Embassy for MGM Plus, which will be out at the beginning of next year.
Heughan said he is also about to do a movie.
“It’s only a small part but it’s really exciting,” he said.
Heughan also co-owns the Galloway Distillery with business partner Alex Norouzi, and he said they are busy creating new spirits and building bothies to turn in to tasting rooms among other things.
