IT is “terribly important” that the people of Scotland are given the right to choose their own future, Graham McTavish has told the Sunday National.
The Scots actor, known for his roles in TV series such as Outlander and The Witcher and Hollywood blockbusters such as The Hobbit trilogy and the Rocky spin-off Creed, said the Scottish people should have their voice heard, whatever it might say.
Glasgow-born McTavish, who also plays lord commander of the kingsguard Harrold Westerling in the ongoing HBO series House of the Dragon, told the Sunday National that what he wanted “most of all” was for the “Scottish people to be allowed to decide on their destiny”.
The actor went on: “It’s happened before, and it was very close, and if it happens again we’ll finally I think get to understand what the people of Scotland want.
“It’s important to recognise that not everybody wants the same thing in Scotland, and that’s fair enough, but it’s what the people of Scotland want that interests me – whether that is full independence, whether it’s not, whatever it ends up being, I just want that expression to be heard and that’s what I’m interested in.”
In 2014, the people of Scotland voted by 55% to 45% to remain a part of the United Kingdom. However, pressure has been building since the result for a second referendum, especially in the wake of the Tory government’s Brexit – which was pushed through despite being rejected by 62% of the Scottish people.
Outlander star Graham McTavish says it's 'important for the Scottish people to be allowed to decide on their destiny' pic.twitter.com/25JoeBhDjr
— The National (@ScotNational) September 10, 2022
The country has been put into the spotlight thanks to events such as COP26, the world climate conference held in Glasgow in late 2021, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon using the event to position Scotland on the world stage.
McTavish is another ambassador for Scotland, having reached the top of the New York Times bestseller lists for Clanlands, a book about the country and its history which he co-wrote with his Outlander co-star Sam Heughan.
The book was written alongside the filming of their travel series Men in Kilts, which saw the pair explore Scotland’s heritage.
“I feel very proud of Scotland and I think Scotland has given us so much in the past and continues to do so,” McTavish says.
Speaking to the LA Times in 2021, McTavish said the show had been a “love letter” to his home nation.
“I think, hopefully, the stories that we tell and the love letter that we give to Scotland with the show speaks to our own views on independence without banging a drum about it,” McTavish told the newspaper.
