Outlander is an epic drama between fantasy and science fiction dedicated to the Fraser family where Claire, Balfe, is the central protagonist of the story. In season 6, Claire has to overcome the trauma left after the rape she endured in the last episode.

The possibility of time traveling in the story allows the producers to change the scene year after year and thus reinvent a narrative based on the homonymous literary saga written by Diana Gabaldon. Avid reader, Balfe admits to have read the new book of Isabel Allende, one of her favorites authors.

Q: Thanks to Belfast and Outlander you are the star of 2022.

A: I am very grateful for the reception that the followers of the book have given me and also to Belfast. I was not aware of the magnitude of Outlander until they offered me the role and I discovered it. Every season I face the challenge of meeting the expectations that have been created for me to bring the character to life.

Q: I’ve seen you participating in a book club online?

A: Yes. I love to read and comment on the books I’m reading, specially during the last two years where we had to be at home.

Q: Have you read many books from Spanish authors?

A: Yes. I read The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende. I admit that she is one of my favorite authors.

Q; Have you ever tried to read a book in Spanish?

A: I can’t. I would not understand it. My Spanish is basic. I can ask for food in Spain but I can’t read a book. What I love to do is prepare Spanish meals as I love the food from your country.

Q: Can we talk about how the narrative  of Outlander has grown and evolved?

A: In the early years of the show, you're creating memories for the character out of your imagination. You have to build a database before starting the character's life. Now, 6 years later, every scene you do is a memory of that person's life. In a certain way, you already know everything that happens, you have already experienced it.

Q: This show has opened a lot of doors for you. Seems like your character has evolved with what is happening with women in society.

A: At the time we started, they were a few woman driven shows, but that has changed now. I can certainly see that we are giving female audiences a real place. Society changed thanks to movements such as Times Up or Me too,  that have changed the narrative around females  and sexuality power imbalances. Everything has changed, even inclusion, and we have to think on the source material that the show is based on, because is 30 years old, so if something's out of date we have to be able to incorporate it in a contemporary way and honor the book that people love so much without forgetting that the audience's perception has changed. The writers have done an incredible job but are constantly shifting. We open the world so much.  I remember the first seasons when the show was told from Claire point of view singularly,  but  now we open the point of view and the show flourished because we get to explore different stories and give voice to different characters which only makes the show richer.

Q: How was the shooting of this new season during the Covid pandemic?

A: This season was very challenging for many reasons: we were in the height of covid, we were shooting during the lockdown, in the height of Scotland winter. Sam and I had to be producers because we didn’t have any showrunner there, any scriptwriter, as all of them were in America. We had to shoot in a different way. We had one of our writer producer, and we were helping her. It was a tough season. We were shooting in a very precarious way. And we had a lot of protocols, and testing every day and still people were getting uncertain if we were able to finish without anyone of the shooting crew getting covid, which was like a miracle. On a personal note I worked very closely with the writers.

Q: Why do you think this show has such a massive success?

A: Our series has evolved a lot since the first season. It's surprising because due to the pandemic and confinement many more people have discovered our series and have started to see it from another point of view because Outlander offers a beautiful escapism. It is a world of fairies that, when you discover it, makes you forget about your daily life. In the series there are many genres, on the one hand fantasy and science fiction, romance, political drama, action, and that allows you to fly and enjoy the landscape, the costumes, the staging, and forget about the world for a few hours. Fans can be sure that their beloved Claire and Jamie will return to face new challenges, adversaries and adventures in season six as we delve into American history and continue the story of the Frasers as they settle in the New World.

Q: How is Claire after the dramatic events of the last episode in season 5?

A: We pick season 6 a few months after the events of the last episodes and she is still not able to get over what happened to her. She is putting on a brave face, but she is in a lot of pain because she is not dealing with it. She is having PTSD. All of them feel guilty and we can see the repercussions of what happened in all the family and it will take a lot of time to overcome all that.

Q: How was it for you to shoot those dark moments? Have you shot any episodes after having your first son?

A: I don’t know how it is yet to play her as a mother because we have not started season 7 and I just had my baby. I was pregnant last season but I didn’t have my son yet. I can say it was challenging shooting while I was pregnant. It is tough to shoot this show and is even tougher when you are exhausted because of the pregnancy.

Q: The Sex life of Jaime and Claire is very intense, it doesn’t calm with age and is amazing to see a character in her 50’s having sex. Is it something we are used to?

A: I think sex is an integral part of their relationship and both are too very vibrant people and age is not going to take away from them as it shouldn’t for any of us. The best thing about this story is that we can all relate to her and her passionate relationship with Jamie. Seeing how he is makes you want to kiss him.

Q: Do you think Claire is a feminist character?

A: I think there is a new awakening in feminism right now. It's wonderful that our show is part of that conversation. But when I decided to star in it, I never thought I was playing a feminist character. As an actress I was interested in the role because she is an intelligent woman, with many facets. She is a woman without age, and even when she represents her time in the 20th century she is shown to be more mentally, sexually and emotionally advanced than her contemporaries. I think I am very much like her because I have grown up surrounded by women.

Maria Estevez

Correspondent writer

Los Angeles, CA