OUTLANDER actor Sam Heughan is helping to find the next generation of screen stars by funding a new 10-year scholarship programme in his name at the drama school where he studied.
Heughan, best known for his role as warrior Jamie Fraser in the hit historical TV drama Outlander, graduated from the BA Acting degree course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow in 2003.
Now, he has invested in three annual scholarships for undergraduate students in the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film who may otherwise have been unable to study there.
The scholarships will be awarded for the new academic year in September to two Scottish students who are taking up places on the BA Acting programme and a non-Scottish student on any course within the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film.
READ MORE: Outlander's Sam Heughan among stars snapping up former teacher's bespoke bars
RCS declined to reveal how much the 10-year scholarship fund is worth, instead stating that it is “a significant, annual commitment over the next 10 years”.
Heughan is also funding the Sam Heughan Scriptwriting Award which will be introduced later this year.
He said: “I was inspired to start the Sam Heughan Scholarship from my years at drama school.
“I came here many years ago and just recall how difficult it was for me then and, obviously, in the current environment, especially with the pandemic, things are equally or doubly as hard for students.
“I really wanted to create a scholarship that would support young students.”
He added: “I learned so much from what was the Royal Scottish Academy [of Music and Drama] – now the conservatoire – just the support that they gave me and even now, the community that they’ve built.
“It felt really important to be able to give back. I feel very lucky in my career and where I’ve found myself in the industry.
“To help, I guess, inspire some of the students as well and to support them because I know that there’s so much creativity and talent coming out of this very special building.”
READ MORE: Ewan McGregor and Sam Heughan team up for new movie
RCS Principal Professor Jeffrey Sharkey said: “Sam Heughan is an inspiration – not only is he known and loved by millions around the world thanks to his role in Outlander but he is also passionately committed to his charitable work in which he has made such an extraordinary difference to the lives of others.
“Sam firmly believes in giving back, in sharing the opportunities that he experienced studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.”
He added: “We thank Sam deeply for this generous gift of scholarship and we look forward to working with Sam to create fantastic opportunities for students, who will follow in the footsteps of a wonderful ambassador not just for RCS, but for Scotland.”
Heughan is not the only star to fund a scholarship programme at his alma mater, with former RCS student James McAvoy having previously pledged £125,000 to pay for a 10-year scholarship programme to help fund places for people under the age of 25 who would otherwise be unable to afford to study there.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel