‘Outlander’ Star Caitriona Balfe Reveals The Secret To Claire’s Timeless Love For Jamie
Warning: This article may contain spoilers for Outlander.
Outlander is essentially the story of Claire Randall, played by Caitriona Balfe, a married 20th century woman lost in 18th century Scotland and trying to get back home, but along the way, Claire meets Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). Their relationship started out as platonic as any friendship and Outlander‘s Balfe reminds fans that the beginning for Claire and Jamie was that of patient and nurse.
While Claire’s only concern in Outlander is to get back to the 20th century, where her husband is waiting, neither Claire nor Jamie can deny the spark of passion that’s ignited between them, even upon their first meeting in the early episodes of Outlander‘s first season. Caitriona admits that her character is torn between her own husband in her own time and Jamie, but what is it about the character played by Balfe’s Outlander co-star, Heughan?
“Even though he’s a man of that time, there is something timeless about him and there’s something modern – his willingness to change his viewpoint or learn or be open to new ideas,” Caitriona Balfe told People magazine.
Meanwhile, a character already familiar to fans of the books will be introduced when the new season of Outlander picks up. Lord John Grey, a key figure in the book, Dragonfly in Amber, upon which Outlander is based, will be introduced as a young soldier in the English army, preparing for the Battle of Prestonpans.
Although no actor has been cast in the role as of yet, Realty Today reports the Outlander character will become fast friends with Jamie.
Another new addition coming to Outlander, according to rumors started by Balfe’s co-star, Heughan, is that of Brianna, the daughter of Jamie and Claire. Sam started the rumors with his social media post, suggesting Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner would be perfect for the new role.
“If she was not so busy with #GameOfThrones, would Sophie Turner make a good #Brianna Fraser? She is so striking!”
Vine Report reposted the Outlander casting call for the role of Brianna Fraser, confirming the idea that the role seemed custom-made to suit Game of Thrones‘ Turner.
“20 something American born and raised who’s strong-minded, intelligent beyond her years with an effortless charm and sparkling sense of humor (traits inherited from both her mother and father. She also has a scholastic mindset, with a healthy dose of American strength, having been born and bred in Boston under the watchful eye of professor and historian Frank Randall. The ease of natural beauty, Brianna has the ability to turn heads wherever she goes. However, underneath her self-possession, Brianna is still young, with the inexperience and vulnerability that goes with that.”
While there is certainly room for the love affair between Balfe’s and Heughan’s Outlander characters, as well as the subplot involving Brianna, the primary focus of season 2 is Jamie’s and Claire’s efforts to stop the Jacobite rebellion. Their hope is that preventing the rebellion will also prevent a string of events to follow, including the slaughter on Culloden Moor and the destruction of the Highland culture.
As the second installment of Outlander begins, the attack and rape of Jamie will not be forgotten and the series Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore says that the memory of the assault will affect Jamie in many ways.
“It definitely colors his character throughout,” the Outlander E.P. says. “It’s not at the forefront of the story, but it’s a pretty big character story for him, so the after-effects of that and the reverberations through their relationship does carry forward well into the season.”
[Featured image courtesy of Starz!/Outlander]
