Caitriona Balfe’s request to direct an Outlander episode falls “on deaf ears”

Outlander’s Caitriona Balfe (Claire Fraser) would absolutely love to direct an episode of the time-traveling romance series. And honestly, as a fan, I would love to see an episode directed by her. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Balfe opened up about her request to direct an episode “falling a little on deaf ears.” Come on folks, let the woman direct an episode! We already know she would be absolutely amazing at it — she is already a producer on the show, after all.

Time will tell if she gets the opportunity. Check out what she had to say below!

Caitriona Balfe on the challenges of working on the Outlander set

As it turns out, Balfe was supposed to direct an episode during season, 6 but with the ongoing pandemic, being pregnant, and also having the lead role, it didn’t pan out.

“It would’ve been the perfect chance for me in a very safe space,” Balfe said. “I’m so close with all of our camera crew, and they were always having conversations about what lens they’re using and what frame it is and they’re really always super helpful in giving me as much information as I want. It’s a shame, but out of my hands.”

It’s become pretty common for lead actors to direct episodes of a show and it’s unclear what the holdup is here. Hopefully it’s not just the Outlander production team ignoring her.

Another issue Balfe brought up was something she noticed during her time on the set of her upcoming film, Belfast: there were more women working on the set of the movie than on Outlander. There’s a diversity issue that both she and costar Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) have brought up on set, but it hasn’t been addressed.

“I think on one hand there’s sort of this idea, ‘Well, Scotland’s a very predominantly white place and it’s an industry that traditionally is much more male-skewed, so it’s tough to find these people,’” she pointed out. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily true. I think there’s ways of finding people to bring in.”

I couldn’t agree more, and with Outlander being one of my favorite shows, I really, really hope that they get around to not only letting Balfe direct an episode, but also making it a more diverse environment. Times have changed, progress has been made, so there is no reason why Outlander should be dragging behind.

Here’s hoping that Balfe’s interview gets seen by the right people and some changes are made STAT. We’re rooting for you, Caitriona!

Check out Outlander season 6 when it premieres on Starz on March 6.

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h/t The National