FYI: Outlander's Sam Heughan Once Played a Prince in a Gloriously Cheesy Holiday Movie
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While we all know and love Sam Heughan's immensely talented work in Outlander, did you know that the smoldering Jamie Fraser isn't actually his best role? No, that honor goes to his tireless dedication to playing the great Ashton, Prince of Castlebury.
"Who is the great Ashton, Prince of Castlebury?" you might be wondering. "Is there some high-brow royal biopic I missed? Did he guest star on The Crown?"
Well, long before he was making us weak in the knees on Outlander, Heughan popped up in Hallmark's gloriously cheesy holiday romance A Princess For Christmas (not to be confused with Netflix's A Christmas Prince or My Christmas Prince, of course). The 2011 film follows a down-on-her-luck antiques dealer named Jules (Katie McGrath) and her young niece and nephew. They travel to the whimsical European country of Castlebury (stay with me) to visit their estranged grandfather. It turns out the man is actually a duke who lives in a sprawling castle (OK, more like a fancy ski chalet) and he has a dashing son. Enter: Prince Ashton.
As usual, Heughan is so handsome it's kind of distracting, which is a good thing in this case, considering there's a scene that involves a questionably long "hip-hop" dance break and far too many obscure antique references for me to get into right now. The movie, while cringe-worthy, is just the kind of pleasantly predictable holiday fare that pairs well with a bottle of wine (or three) in front of the Christmas tree.
If you're still unconvinced, let the following snapshots of Heughan in fancy prince mode (and fancy prince pants) get you going.
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Every cheesy holiday movie needs a meet-cute for its two leads. Jules and Ashton happen to meet when they literally slam into each other, and then Jules . . . breaks an expensive antique sconce. So, breaking old castle wall fixtures: 1, Tinder: 0.
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Here Ashton is at a calm, cool, and collected family dinner. And by that I mean Jules calls his father, the duke, a "dingle dork" (?!). See Ashton's (and my) reaction above.
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This scene comes just before Ashton delivers a sick burn to his father: "I may not be your favorite son, but I'm your only living one." *screams in the key of DAMN*
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This GIF alone makes the phrase "dingle dork" suddenly acceptable.
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This is the face you make when the woman you're engaged to turns out to be a gold-digging creep, apparently.
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Let's all take a minute to bask in the glory that is those white riding pants.
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Sorry, I just can't get enough of this outfit.
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Anyway, here's Ashton gazing up at a Christmas tree in wonder. Coincidentally, this is also the facial expression I had on my face the entire time I was watching this movie.
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All right, so, after establishing Ashton as the rigid, rule-following prince, Jules makes it her mission to loosen him up. While teaching her how to waltz, she decides to . . .
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. . . BUST OUT SOME "HIP-HOP" DANCE MOVES, instead. And, naturally, Ashton joins in.
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I just really need this scene to sink in for you guys.
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What does Ashton think of Jules's need to obsessively identify every antique item in Castlebury? This. This is what he thinks of it.
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OK, so what are you still doing here? Go watch A Princess For Christmas already.