At a recent event at the 92nd Street Y for the Starz series “Outlander,” it quickly be�🧸�came obvious that Scots are now hot.
Maybe it was the event’s sexy signature Scotch whi💛sky cocktail: the Kilt Dropper. Or maybe it was that you could hear the feminine shrieks all the way down the block as stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan made their way through a throng of fans — some ꦑeven clad in period-appropriate Highland garb — into the screening of the pilot episode, in which a British woman (Balfe) on vacation in Scotland is mysteriously thrown back in time to 1743, where she’s taken prisoner by a band of Scottish Highlanders (including her soon-to-be love interest Heughan).
Nobody’s kilt dropped that night, though both the 🐷fiery-hairedꦦ Heughan and show creator Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica”) sported them — much to the delight of the packed house. (Moore remarked at the time that his was a rental, though he added, “I get the feeling this is an ongoing thing, so I should probably invest in a kilt.”)
Yes, this fall everything’s coming up Scottish — especially on Thursday, when the country go🌼es to the polls to vote on its independence.
Look for Scottish establishments such as St. Andrews, a Midtown restaurant that serꩵves traditional dishes like cock-a-leekie soup, to be packed late Thursday; it’s hosting a viewing party for the vote from 4 p.m. until midnight, though the staff (stubbornly, Scottishly) refused to comment ꦏdue to strict protocol on remaining neutral.
But whichever way the vote goes, our glut of high-profile Scots isn’t going anywhere. Scottish accents abound, on-screen and off. In addition to the sweeping Starz drama, there’s Peter Capaldi, new star of “Doctor Who,” whose character is, like the actor himself, unapologetically Scottish. (“I can complain about things!” he says delightedly, upon discovering his provenance.)
Lately, there’s a Scot icon for everyone, whatever your pop-cultural predilection. The CW’s racy drama “Reign,” which premieres its second season in early October, concerns Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane). Rose Leslie’s (late) character Ygritte on “Game of Thrones” may have technically been a wildling, but let’s not kid ourselves: The lady was Scotti🎀sh, as is Leslie herself. “GoT” star Richard Madden (also departed from the show, soon to play Prince Charming in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming “Cinderella”) is a Scot as well.
Actress Karen Gillan stars in the new ABC comedy “Selfie” as a narcissist in need of a makeover; her character may be American, but Gillan’s a Scot. As is David T🦹ennant, who’ll be starring in “Gracepoint,” the Fox drama adapted from the British series “Broadchurch” (in which he played the sa🎶me investigator role).
Viewers are getting into the spirit — and into the plaid. “I actually challenged myself to wear ki🍌lts more often than pants from April to September,ಌ” says Sean Proper, who hosts a “Doctor Who” screening night at Brooklyn bar the Way Station.
“I try to encourage more people to wear kilts,” adds Proper, who has Scottish ancestry himself. “So far, my efforts have helped influence three friends here at the bar to buy them — including the owner!”