Caitriona Balfe on what keeps Outlander interesting to her

Outlander has put Caitriona Balfe on the map, and ever since she came into our lives as Claire Randall/Fraser, things have never been the same. Balfe has blown us away with her talent, and never ceases to amaze me with each passing season of Outlander.

Speaking to Parade, Balfe talked a lot about her upcoming film, Ford v Ferrari, based on an incredible true story about the world of racing. She stars alongside Matt Damon and Christian Bale (she’s hanging with the A-listers now!) as Mollie, the wife of Ken Miles (Bale), a Motorsports Hall of Famer.

I think it’s safe to say she’s not in Lallybroch anymore. “It’s a film about friendships, teamwork and that passion that makes you who you are,” Balfe said. “It’s all about the people who help facilitate that.”

It’s hard to imagine Balfe in anything but Outlander, which may be why Parade asked her how Claire and Mollie compare:

"They are very different women, but I think Mollie had to sacrifice a lot for Ken’s dream. They moved from England. They moved to California. She was very much a stay-at-home mom and a wife, but they were a team, and that’s what I loved about this relationship. I think what [director] Jim [Mangold] was very interested in portraying, and what Christian and I were very interested in portraying, is the teamwork that has to exist within a marriage for one person to achieve something great."

Yeah, Claire Fraser is anything but a stay-at-home mom, even in the 18th century. She’s a mother, grandmother, surgeon, inventor, and more no matter what time period she’s in.

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Based on what we’ve seen from previews and trailers, it looks like Balfe’s character shares a very similar relationship with her husband as Claire does with Jamie on Outlander. Both men are over the moon in love with her and beyond respectful. So is that what Balfe is drawn to in scripts, or is just a coincidence?

"I look for good writing. I would be happy enough to play a different type of character that didn’t get that if I was going to say something about that situation. You always have to have a point of view and you always have to say something. In many ways, especially this time we’re in, I like to impart some kind of good into the world. But I was just very attracted to the script and to the story. I’m actually a fan of racing myself, and always have been. So that was also an element, which I don’t think is maybe that common among women, but I don’t think it’s uniquely a male sport."

Five seasons into Outlander, Balfe still finds plenty to love and appreciate about the show and her character:

"Every season you go in and you’re not quite sure what the experience is going to be. Just having that time to spend with a character, you have a deeper understanding, a deeper appreciation for them season after season. […] The great thing about Outlander is that because we don’t stay necessarily in one time, and because it is this epic fantasy, you get to really play very varied things all the time. So it feels like it stays fresh for us, which is really very unusual as an actor."

While we still have a couple of months before Outlander season 5, we can look forward to seeing Balfe in Ford v Ferrari on November 15!

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