1 week Ago By Jacqueline Cutler
Their passion defies time, space and anyone who dares to get in their way. Claire and Jamie share an unbreakable bond of true love on Outlander , and a commitment to do anything to keep it. “It’s aspirational,” says Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire.
“These are two people who are both, in their own right, very strong characters, and they have learnt over the years to allow each other to be exactly who they are, yet they challenge each other and hold a space for each other to be better. “When one is down, the other one is there to catch them, and vice versa. They’re constantly either rescuing each other or fixing each other, and it’s a beautiful thing to observe.
Wouldn’t we all want someone who loves us and fights for us so fiercely?” Sam Heughan as Jamie and Caitriona Balfe as Claire in Outlander . Credit: Starz Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, nods as they chat in a Manhattan hotel room. Although few rock a kilt as he does, on this perfect autumn day, Heughan is more the cool dude at the corner pub in a black leather jacket, black jeans, a white T and silver rings.
“They force each other to reveal their inner fears and insecurities,” Heughan ( Bloodshot ) says. “They’re constantly trying to push each other to get to the bottom of what it is. And I think that they communicate, and we see these very typical Outlander scenes where they’ve gone through a situation, and then they hash it out together, and then they work through a problem and find some beautiful resolve.
” The actors listen attentively to each other, as they did when first promoting the series in 2014. Then, Heughan was shy; Balfe sat ramrod straight. Now, he chats easily, and she leans forward when confiding news about a famous fan.
“Joni Mitchell said that it got her through some tough times,” Balfe says. “And that, to me, is like the greatest. The fact that I’m part of something that gives people some comfort, and not only some people – but Joni Mitchell!” The best-looking man on TV? Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in Outlander .
Credit: Starz In their only in-person print interview in New York, they’re careful not to spoil plots. For those who haven’t watched, it’s imperative to start at the beginning, when Claire, a World War II nurse, magically winds up in Scotland 200 years earlier. Diana Gabaldon’s story about the time-travelling couple gained an international fan base when the first of her nine novels was published in 1991.
That fan base exploded when the series debuted on Starz in the United States..
