Before A Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch, Sam Heughan was a holiday movie trailblazer in the Hallmark Channel movie A Princess for Christmas. Undoubtedly, Heughan's role in A Princess for Christmas isn't very similar to his role as Jamie Fraser in Outlander, but you may be surprised to learn that Ashton, Prince of Castlebury, may have set up Heughan for Outlander more than you'd think.

A Princess For Christmas is full of all the soppy goodness you expect from Hallmark Channel Christmas movies when Katie McGrath's Jules travels to a far-off (fictional) castle in Europe with her niece and nephew where she meets Heughan's Prince Ashton. There's precocious children, a crotchety grandfather who learns the meaning of Christmas (played by none other than Sir Roger Moore), and a mixup that nearly separates Ashton and Jules. But, spoiler, they get their happy, Christmas-themed ending.

While working with a former James Bond may have you thinking that A Princess for Christmas poised Heughan for a future turn as 007, check out how, in fact, Prince Ashton was great training for James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.

1. A Narrated Story

A Princess For Christmas begins as all fairytales should with the narration of, "Once upon a time..." Claire's voiceovers in Outlander may not be so predictable, but it was a quintessential part of the series when it first started. Even Jamie took a stab at it!