Outlander star Sam Heughan wants a role in the new The Lord of the Rings prequel - and has revealed he was named after a character in the books.
The Scottish actor, 42, has been playing the role of Jamie Fraser in the hit time-travel series Outlander for around a decade now.
But now that the show is set to finish after its seventh and final series, the Balmaclellan-born hunk has got his eyes on some future opportunities.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Sam said he would love to be cast in the new Rings of Power production, as the books had a huge influence on his childhood.
Heughan said his hippie parents were big fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels - and as a result, they named their children after characters in the books.
He said his name is Sam after Samwise - the hobbit and Frodo Baggins best friend - while his brother Cirdan was also named after a Tolkien character.
In an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Heughan said: "My brother is called Cirdan. Those Lord of the Rings fans that are out there, they might recognise it.
"I believe he was the elf that took all the elves from Middle Earth to wherever the elves go at the end of the book. He was the shipwright.
"My nickname is Sam for Samwise. I wasn't christened that but yes, my parents were probably hippies.
"These were great influences to me growing up, and I still am desperate to be an elf or a dwarf, so if Rings of Power is still casting, I'm available."
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