The Outlander star visited the Today show on Dec. 12, sharing details on a variety of topics including his new book, the upcoming season of the drama series, and industry pressures he faced as a young budding talent. In the book, Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, which chronicles his adventurous 96-mile trek through his home country’s Scottish highlands, he wrote about his ups and downs as a struggling actor, including his experience with a “low-level eating disorder.” “I think as a young actor, quite green; not really much experience, there were a lot of pressures, certainly, starting off in the industry, that I didn’t really understand,” the 42-year-old began. He continued, saying, “I think there was a certain body type that we were expected to have,” admitting that “women talk about it a lot, but I don’t think men do, and I wanted to mention it.” Dealing with this prompted the Scottish actor to start his own foundation to help others who may have had the same body image issues. “That’s why I started my own charity fitness program. It was about education and about getting information to other people so they don’t face the same pressures,” he noted. On the morning broadcast, Heughan also spoke about auditioning for the role of James Bond, his Scottish whisky and gin lines, and what fans can expect from the upcoming Season 7 of Outlander.
