‘Outlander’s Caitríona Balfe Says Final Season Was Her Most Difficult Yet — Here’s Why (Exclusive)

Key Points

Caitríona Balfe found filming Outlander Season 8 difficult due to secrecy about the show’s ending.
Playing Claire Fraser built Balfe’s confidence and inspired her directorial debut during the season.
Balfe hopes Outlander’s legacy remains inspirational, aspirational, and highlights Scotland’s beauty.

On the on the Scotland set of Outlander for last day of filming the eighth and final season, Caitríona Balfe shared with a small group of reporters, including Parade, that Season 8 had been the most difficult to film because showrunner Matthew B. Roberts had kept them in the dark as to what was coming, which wasn’t the way they usually worked.

“Matt’s kept everything so close to his chest, so I worried about what we were going to be doing,” she shared. “I’m also such a control freak, I like to know. And we didn’t know, so it drove me crazy. Also, because I’m just so nosy.”

That said, even now, Caitríona isn’t sure of the ending because several were filmed and Matt will be the one to decide what the final version will look like. And while the uncertainty was difficult, so was saying goodbye to Claire Fraser after having played her for the last 11 years.

“There’s probably things that I’m not even going to be aware of that is going to be the hardest,” Caitríona said. “Obviously, one of the toughest is not coming here and seeing all of these people that I’ve worked with for 11 years. Stability, that’s going to be really hard to let go of. But in terms of Claire, I’ve been playing her for a quarter of my life so at some point in a year, especially when we shot Season 7, we shot for an entire calendar year, so I probably was spending more time dressed as Claire than I was as myself.”

On the set of “Outlander” with Caitríona Balfe.Courtesy: STARZ

With that thought in mind, it sounds as if Caitríona will have to get shopping and find clothes that are appropriate for the 21^st century. But she also says the one part of Claire she will be taking with her is confidence because Claire was somebody who was always a step forward or always met things in a very proactive and forward way.

“When I started this show, I didn’t have much of a career,” Caitríona admits. “I’d come out of a decade of being in the fashion industry, which does wonders for people’s self-esteem. I think playing Claire has really built me up. For me to even be able to direct this season, that’s a direct correlation to getting a bit of confidence from this character. Just being on this show, I think it all feeds into it.”

Caitríona says the most difficult part of directing the episode was when she also appeared in a scene. Her brain was like sawed in the middle so neither side was working. But she adds that directing Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) and the rest of the cast was amazing.

“I was so supported by everybody, but it was also like I’ve always appreciated what amazing actors everybody is,” she says. “You see it when you’re in a scene with them. But then to be on the other side, I was like the weirdo at this monitor … because you see what they’re doing, and I understand exactly what they’re going for. When they surpass your expectations, it’s just so exciting. There’s a scene that Sam and John Bell had that is just I can’t wait for people to see it, it’s so lovely. It was just such a thrill to watch them.”

Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan in Season 8 of ‘Outlander.’Courtesy: STARZ

Outlander wrapped in June 2024 and while there have been a few pickups and voice sessions since then, and now all the publicity for Season 8, Caitríona has moved on with her career.

Her most recent project is The Housekeeper motion picture in which she joins Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Laird and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Her other film credits include A Long Winter, The Cut, Belfast, Ford v Ferrari, The Amateur, Now You See Me, and Super 8 but she will always hold a special place in heart for Outlander.

“I hope it continues to just be inspirational and aspirational,” she says when asked what it’s legacy will be. “I think it’s this fantastic love story, but it’s not only that but there’s just so much more around it, too. I think we’ve been able to highlight quite a few traumatic events that I hope will give people catharsis. Also, I hope that we just continue to draw people to Scotland by showing them what a beautiful place it is.”

Outlander is set to premiere on Friday, March 6 at midnight ET on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms. New episodes are available to stream weekly on Fridays at midnight on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.