During the Television Critics Association panel for Starz’ Outlander season three, Caitriona Balfe mentioned she watched films from early and then later on in specific actresses’ careers to get a better idea of how to portray an older version of Claire. My first question to Balfe following the press conference was a follow up to that. Caitriona Balfe also talked a little about changes in the relationships between characters in season three during our five-minute talk that included just a couple of other journalists.
Who were some of the actresses you watched in earlier and later films?
Caitriona Balfe: “Jane Fonda was one. Also, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett. Actresses that I’d seen early films and you see sort of the youthfulness and then a couple of years later you see that they’re more in their own power, I thought anyway.”
How does having a grown daughter change the relationship dynamics?
Caitriona Balfe: “Well, the relationship between Claire and Frank looking at it in terms of Brianna (Sophie Skelton) in the center is quite an interesting one because what I loved about what the producers decided to do, and Diana (Gabaldon) did this as well, is really Frank becomes the primary caregiver. Their relationship is much closer and much more bonded than actually Claire and Brianna because I’ve always had secrets. Retaining secrets creates barriers. So, there’s a huge secret between Claire and Brianna and that’s why their relationship is quite strained. What I look forward to this season is when you see, as we know at the end of season two, Claire tells her the truth. So, you start to watch them rebuild that relationship and find a new honesty with each other.”
Returning her to the 20th century, how did that affect your performance due to getting to spend more time in that world?
Caitriona Balfe: “The thing that I wanted to try and work with, in terms of that going back, was that here’s somebody who’s left a huge part of themselves behind. And so that in a way there’s a certain repression or rigidity to Claire that we haven’t seen before. Losing the love of her life and shelving her sexuality to a certain way makes her…she focuses on work and her family, but it adds a slight brittleness to her.”
Can you talk about working with Tobias Menzies? You work with him as Frank, Claire’s husband, but also as the despicable Black Jack Randall. Does his performance surprise you?
Caitriona Balfe: “You know, I think it’s so interesting to watch him play Black Jack and to watch that darkness. You know, he and I after six didn’t have a huge amount – that was mainly Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Frank in season one. Their relationship was the stronger one. But Claire and Frank, I always love playing those scenes. I love working with Tobias. I think he brings such depth to his characters. You know Frank could be such a boring, stuffy old guy and he makes him charming and he makes him sweet. You feel for him. It’s heartbreaking that here’s a man who only wants to be loved by his wife and that’s something she’s not able to give him. It was really sad to see him head off this season.”
Was there quite a big separation of time that you and Sam Heughan were not working together?
Caitriona Balfe: “Not really because we had to pull up episode eight before we…we filmed one and three together and then two and eight. So, there was a couple of weeks where we didn’t see each other but we’d pass each other in the corridors. We’d do tag team of who gets to go on set and do the heavy lifting.”
Was there talk about maybe keeping you two apart for a long time so that it would maybe inhabit the performance?
Caitriona Balfe: “Well, I think initially of course the writers, the producers, and everyone would have preferred to film chronologically. But, it was due to another actor’s availability that we had to pull something off. So, you know, this is what happens in the land of TV.”
(And a timely question.) Have you ever been on a project where you knew a male co-star was making more than you and how would you feel about that?
Caitriona Balfe: “Not knowingly. I don’t know how I would handle that. I think now, obviously, I’m in a position where I feel very comfortable speaking up for myself, and I do so. Maybe in the beginning of my career I wouldn’t have felt as comfortable doing that. But I think it’s really great that that conversation is out there and that women now feel empowered that they can demand equal pay.”
