Before ‘Outlander,’ Sam Heughan Was a Hallmark Christmas Prince Who Had Us Swooning

In 2011, three years before Outlander premiered and turned Sam Heughan into a household name, the actor's second feature-length movie role eerily foreshadowed his 10-year-plus reign as Jamie Fraser, television's definitive Wife Guy. Considering this film is A Princess for Christmas, a Hallmark holiday romance, the Outlander similarities are especially impressive. Now, if you read the word "Hallmark" and started to flee, I implore you to hear me out.

A Princess for Christmas feels more like a Disney Channel Original Movie in that era's heyday than a contemporary Hallmark Media enterprise, and as long as one abandons their suspension of disbelief at the door, the result is an adorably sentimental, charming, and trope-filled romp. Rom-com fans will thoroughly enjoy it, and Outlander lovers owe it to themselves to see a youthful Heughan rocking the skills that must reside in his DNA.

What Is 'A Princess for Christmas' About?

Directed by Michael Damian, A Princess for Christmas stars Merlin and Supergirl actress (and the love of my life) Katie McGrath as Jules Daly. McGrath was born to play a quirky, bubbly, stubborn, and down-on-her-luck Hallmark protagonist with a niche passion job (restoring antiques), who wears the same patterned-sweater-dress-and-gray-leggings combos I still have in my closet, and who becomes a Christmas princess. That’s a compliment; McGrath rolls with this inexplicably enjoyable situation with more naturalistic flair than others.

The down-on-her-luck element comes into play when Jules’ boss fires her a week before Christmas, even though said boss is well aware that Jules' sister and brother-in-law died last Christmas; the tragedy made Jules the legal guardian of her nephew Milo (Travis Turner), and her niece Maddie (Leilah de Meza). To make matters worse, the kids' nanny leaves Jules high and dry after their rebellious pranks reach Home Alone meets Ferris Bueller's Day Off levels. But never fear: a prim and proper butler with the pair-a-random-pattern-with-a-meteorological-season name of Paisley Winterbottom (Miles Richardson) invites the family to spend Christmas at Castlebury Hall, the childhood home of Jules’ brother-in-law.

Even though Castlebury’s fuddy-duddy patriarch, Duke Edward (Roger Moore — yes, James Bond himself), disowned said brother-in-law for marrying Jules’ sister (she was an American without lands or title, gasp!), Jules relents for the children's sake. And isn’t it a whirlwind surprise when Edward’s younger son, Ashton (Heughan), is on duty for a klutzy meet-cute filled with shining eyes, giant grins, and a smitten pause over wrist-grasping action? While Jules is there, she takes it upon herself to overcome the English-versus-American culture clash and infuse Castleberry with the wound-healing magic exclusive to Christmas. No Grinch behavior is allowed in these fancy halls, folks.

Sam Heughan Is the Perfect Romantic Lead in 'A Princess at Christmas'

A Princess for Christmas is Heughan getting his romantic lead start, and to say he meets every requirement is an understatement. There's no sense of insecurity or getting his feet under him; he hits the ground running, looking dashing as all get out in every outfit and riding a horse like there's no tomorrow. As the less-loved second son, he's mildly tormented by his "daddy issues" but maturely handles such inner turmoil, pouring his emotions into playing the violin and helping Milo overcome his trauma. He’s a considerate and respectful king (prince, technically), and he even teaches Jules to waltz for Castleberry's Christmas ball — because, of course, he does. (Jules, meanwhile, loosens him up by fluffing his hair and hosting an impromptu dance party set to 2010s bops.)

Heughan sells every trope in the book with a recognizably natural grace, be it agreeing that the Christmas tree is "very pretty" while he's gazing at Jules, or laying his bleeding soul on the floor with lines like "I hold you in the highest regard and "you absconded with my heart." It's a scientific fact that few men outside of Bridgerton can sell verbosely eloquent statements like that with unquestioned sincerity, or stand by their woman's side with unflinching devotion radiating from their broad-shouldered frames. All of Heughan's best Jamie qualities are on full display, and, in short, he’s perfect, Your Honor.

'A Princess for Christmas' Foreshadows the Best of 'Outlander'

Heughan fondly remembers his time on the film, telling Parade in 2023: “I think I am a better actor now, but I love that movie. All of those jobs are the precursor to what I am doing now." No lies were detected. A Princess for Christmas might lack legitimate dramatic tension, but it's a safe assumption that no one approaches a Hallmark film expecting such things — especially one that only half-ironically uses the phrase "dingle dork." Together, Heughan and McGrath make carrying a no-stakes Christmas romance look easy, and they deserve proper medical reimbursement for the strain on their backs. Their chemistry dazzles, and Heughan's earnest, tender, and intensely devoted approach turns this silly guilty pleasure into something worthy of giggling, feet-kicking delight.

A Princess for Christmas is available to stream on Starz.

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