Caitriona Balfe On The ‘Outlander’ Season Finale, Playing Claire And Her Chemistry With Sam Heughan

Outlander and its stars Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan and Tobias Menzies are getting ready for the exciting season finale, “To Ransom a Man’s Soul.” The main question going into the final episode of this season concerns Claire’s willingness to save Jamie from his newfound dark side.

As previously reported by E! News, things are going to go from bad to worse for Jamie and Claire and it will all be at the hands of Menzies’ Black Jack Randall.

It is possible that Jamie will bounce back from the events he went through in prison. However, he certainly will be a changed man even if he makes a full recovery. Either way, whatever happens in the finale is sure to be a drawn out process for the character.

Although fans will have to tune in to find out if Jamie will be able to change after what went down in prison, one thing for sure is that this season has been a popular one for the new series. In fact, Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire, was recently nominated for Best Actress in a a Drama at the IFTA awards.

Balfe sat down with the L.A. Times to discuss playing Claire and her very comfortable relationship with her costar Sam Heughan.

She truly seems to understand her time-traveling character. “She doesn’t feel like she really belongs in the 1940s or the 1700s, and that’s due to Diana (Gabaldon), who’s an incredible force of nature. Claire was raised by an uncle who was an atheist and an anthropologist, and she traveled the world, and she’s always been a timeless or placeless character.”

What was her favorite part of season 1? “I love the location days. If we’re outside, even if it’s bitterly cold, you feel transported. I never thought of myself doing period. When you’re in your acting classes, and you think about the kind of roles you want to play, it’s always modern relationship drama type things. But this allows you to transport yourself into a different place. It feels magical.”

As for her relationship with Sam, Balfe admits that they are not dating, breaking fans hearts from around the world.

“We’re not dating. [Laughs.] When I walked in to test with him, it was one of those mornings — I was running late, there was so much traffic, it was a big test, this is not the moment to be late. I came in a sweaty mess. Sam is just this calm center, always, and he was just so sweet and so reassuring. Two of my best friends live in Scotland, and we talked about where I’ve been and where he’s from, and immediately we were nattering away with each other.”

Catch Caitriona Balfe in the Season 1 finale of Outlander May 30, 2015, on Starz.

[Photo Courtesy: Alberto E. Rodriguez for Getty Images]