Caitriona Balfe teases Claire’s “challenging” story in Outlander season 5

Between potential Oscar contender Ford v Ferrari and Outlander season 5, Caitriona Balfe is a busy woman these days. It’s about time the world stood up and recognized her talent!

In an interview with Collider, Balfe teased a little bit of what to expect from the upcoming season of Outlander. It sounds like season 5 will push things beyond what the team has done before:

"What we’ve really loved about filming this season is that we’ve found ways to continue to push the boundaries. For Claire, towards the end of the season, I have some really challenging material, and that’s so lovely to get, so deep into a series. As seasons go on, you plateau and you’re not doing things as interesting, but we really do still push the boundaries, and that’s great, as an actor."

I think The Walking Dead is a good example of the plateauing affect she’s talking about. Unless the story and characters grow, it’s hard for the audience to connect. Happily, Outlander hasn’t yet had this problem.

Naturally, fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series are always on the lookout for what the show changes and what it keeps the same. Balfe says they try to keep tying things back to the novels, but of course changes have to be made from time to time.

"We definitely had to do some changes, obviously. When you change little bits in earlier books, by the time the next book comes around, and then the next book comes around, then you’re dealing with bigger diversions from what’s in the actual book. But we try, as much as we can, to revert back to Diana’s plots and story. She’s even written an episode this season, which has been fantastic to film. The main storylines of Book 5 are there, and we’ve borrowed some stuff from Book 6. I think it’s a really strong season. I think fans are gonna be really pleasantly surprised and happy."

Hang tight guys, the Droughtlander is almost over! Bring on February 16.

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