Tom Ellis reveals to Sam Heughan that he auditioned for Outlander

Tom Ellis and Sam Heughan have been friends for years, but it turns out they were nearly co-stars too.

Ellis, 43, told Heughan, 41, during an interview for Square Mile that he auditioned for a role on the latter's hit television show Outlander.

'I'm going to let you into a little secret,' the Lucifer star said. 'I auditioned for Outlander, not for Jamie Fraser but for Tobias Menzies' part, "Black Jack" Randall.'

Outlander follows a woman named Claire who is transported back to 1743 where she marries a man named Jamie, played by Heughan.

The Bloodshot actor's response to Ellis' news was a rather tepid, mainly because of a rape scene in the first season the two stars would've had to film together.

'Firstly, dude, I'm not sure how I'd have felt having you, I don't know, assault me shall we say,' Heughan initially replied.

Despite his initial statement, he did admit that it would've been quite interesting working with Ellis.

'I know we would have had a great time,' Heughan said. 'Actually, you would have been brilliant at that because Frank Randall is this charming, loveable character and then Black Jack, the other part you would have had to play, is just violent.'

He continued, 'It's a great part. Tobias, of course, does an amazing job but that would have been so different.'

While the two stars didn't get to work together in Outlander, they've still been quite busy with their careers in recent months.

The final season of Ellis' critically-acclaimed television show Lucifer was released this year, and he has a part in the upcoming film Players which is currently in post-production.

Heughan, on the other hand, is currently filming a role in the upcoming television show Suspect. After that, he will begin work on Everest, a movie about George Mallory, who attempted to climb the famous mountain multiple times in the 1920s.

The sixth season of Outlander is set for release in March of last year.