{"id":29356,"date":"2026-05-16T07:09:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T07:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/29356\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T07:09:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T07:09:23","slug":"outlander-stars-caitriona-balfe-and-sam-heughan-react-to-the-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/29356\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Outlander’ Stars Caitr\u00edona Balfe and Sam Heughan React to the Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: The following interview contains spoilers for the series finale of \u201cOutlander<\/a>.\u201d]<\/p>\n

Watch our video interviews<\/a> with Balfe in the video above and with Heughan in the video below.<\/p>\n

Caitr\u00edona Balfe and Sam Heughan<\/a> have played Claire and Jamie Fraser for over a decade of their lives. The two got emotional as they sat down with IndieWire to break down the series\u2019 finale<\/a> and bid their show a final farewell. <\/p>\n

Jamie and Claire\u2019s love story<\/a> resonated across space, time, books, and television. Their story will go down in history as one of the television\u2019s greatest love stories. Balfe and Heughan opened up about how surprisingly emotional they feel about their show ending. They also dive into what they both think of that finale, and what future possibilities it leaves for them to perhaps one day, revisit their iconic roles<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"'Survivor'\"<\/a> \"Gillian<\/a> <\/p>\n

Balfe also talks about the three episodes that changed her as an actress in the show. And she confesses that Heughan helped get her through the biggest scene in the finale, when Jamie dies in Claire\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

This season marked Balfe\u2019s debut as a director, making her a triple threat. What people might not know is that part of the finale was also directed by Balfe. The easter egg, a post-credits scene with author Diana Gabaldon was directed by Balfe herself. <\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Outlander\u2019Robert Wilson<\/p>\n

She lit up when asked about it. \u201cEveryone in that scene has been on \u2018Outlander\u2019 since day one. They are part of the fabric of our show. They are the reason that it is what it is,\u201d she said. \u201cThey imbue it with their heart and soul every day.\u201d <\/p>\n

Balfe realized something when she re-watched the scene. \u201cMy new theory is that Diana (Gabaldon) is Claire, her husband Doug is Jamie, and she is living in plain sight as a time-traveler, because she doesn\u2019t age! Diana Gabaldon has lived all of Claire\u2019s life and somehow, she figured out how to get Doug from the 18th century,\u201d she added, alluding to the fact that unlike Claire, Jamie cannot time-travel.<\/p>\n

Heughan and Balfe both just watched the finale for the very first time in their hotel rooms on their computers. So, what did Jamie and Claire\u2019s counterparts think about the ending? <\/p>\n

Balfe said, \u201cI mean\u2026 they\u2019re together, and that to me is the perfect thing, whatever it is, whatever they do, they\u2019re supposed to be together.\u201d It\u2019s like if Jack and Rose fit on that doomed door. Balfe added, \u201cRomeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose, Claire and Jamie.\u201d Let\u2019s be honest, Jamie would have given Claire the biggest door and been right next to her. Those two would never let a little piece of wood separate them. In fact, in the Season 3 finale, they had a little Jack and Rose moment that found them washed up on a beach in America.<\/p>\n

Watch our video interviews with Balfe in the video above and with Heughan in the video below.<\/p>\n

\"Outlander<\/p>\n

\u201cOutlander\u201d ends its eight-season run before the book series will end. Heughan and executive producer Maril Davis are the only two that know Gabaldon\u2019s ending. <\/p>\n

So, is the television show ending and the book ending the same? Heughan said, \u201cI can\u2019t give anything away, but all I can say is, there is a similarity, we\u2019re in the same world, but I don\u2019t know how she\u2019s going to get there. There\u2019s a lot more to come still in her books, so we don\u2019t know.\u201d Balfe and Heughan also confessed they cannot wait to read Diana Gabaldon\u2019s final and tenth \u201cOutlander\u201d book. They too want to know what happens to Jamie and Claire in the future.<\/p>\n

The biggest most heart-wrenching scene is when Jamie dies in Claire\u2019s arms. Balfe gives a performance that should undoubtedly earn her the recognition she\u2019s so rightly deserved all throughout the series. \u201cI had a really tough day on set, and Sam was the one who \u2014 you put all of this pressure on things and you want it to be so good, and it\u2019s our last season, and you do all this stuff to yourself, and then you\u2019re all wound up, and I remember Sam coming to me and like just letting me have a big ball,\u201d she said. \u201cHe just was very reassuring, and we went back, and we finished the scene, and it was perfect, or well, you know, not perfect, but it worked.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Outlander\u2019David Bloomer<\/p>\n

According to Heughan. It more than worked.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, Balfe\u2019s toughest scene was quite the opposite for Heughan. \u201cI mean, I had an easy time of it, once Jamie\u2019s dead, I was quite happy to be dead on the mountain, my journey was over, the character was dead,\u201d he said with a laugh. Ouch. <\/p>\n

Heughan really is going for the gut punch. \u201cShe has this very challenging scene, a moment where she\u2019s screaming by his body, of course Caitr\u00edona nailed it, and she\u2019s so powerful, heart-wrenching. But I remember it was difficult for her,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only is it super emotional, physical, but it\u2019s also the end and we were trying to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heughan revealed it was difficult to physically get on the mountain and the cast was taken up there in caterpillar-like vehicles. \u201cI remember sitting with her and talking her, and she needed some support and comfort, but I think she absolutely nailed it,\u201d he said. He added that he knows his co-star so well, but that the support between the two is deeply reciprocal and that she\u2019s been able to be there when he\u2019s gone through tough times. \u201cIt\u2019s been so great to have her as a co-star, but also as a great friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ending of \u201cOutlander\u201d finds Claire and Jamie seemingly not alive, but then, in the last moment, their eyes open and they both take a breath, indicating that, once again, Claire has brought Jamie back to life. She did something similar in Season 5 in a very \u201chandy\u201d way. <\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Outlander\u2019<\/p>\n

The show has always hinted that Claire possesses some power that materializes in very white hair and a blue light. After all, she is a time-traveler, so that tracks. But did Heughan see the blue light that emanates out of Claire for a second before it looks like she too may have died in the final scene? \u201cI didn\u2019t see any blue light, I was dead,\u201d Heughan said with a laugh. We get it! Jamie Fraser was dead. <\/p>\n

Heughan said they shot the scenes where he has to lay dead in her arms for two days: \u201cI got to lie down a lot, which was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jamie\u2019s ghost is the ending that Heughan fought for. The very first episode of \u201cOutlander\u201d found a ghost looking up at Claire\u2019s window watching her, but we don\u2019t see who it is. Heughan really wanted that to be tied up, because \u201cplaying young Jamie was fun.\u201d He then revealed that he played ghost Jamie in the pilot too.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Outlander\u2019<\/p>\n

At that point, he had no idea why. \u201cThat was me, and I think that may have been the first thing I ever shot. I didn\u2019t really know what this moment was,\u201d he said. That ghost scene bookended his filming on \u201cOutlander,\u201d with it being his very first filmed and then the very last. Heughan added that he loved it for Jamie and Claire: \u201cI think he\u2019s always going to be watching over her.\u201d Ghost, time-travel, and a little thing like death, nothing can keep those two apart.<\/p>\n

After they yelled, \u201cCut\u201d on Heughan for the very last time, he headed right to Balfe and Sophie Skelton, who were watching his last scene. \u201cWe had this big group hug, there were a lot of tears, a lot of champagne and I walked off with Jamie\u2019s outfit and I pulled his wig off for the last time, and stuffed it in my bag and went home with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For both Balfe and Heughan, the love that is at the center of their show is also what they will remember most behind the scenes. Balfe said, when she\u2019s 80 years old, she will remember her \u201cOutlander\u201d family. \u201cWe have so much fun, we have so much love for each other. And it\u2019s not just the cast, it\u2019s our crew, I\u2019ll just think of the people,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Heughan quickly agreed: \u201cCaitr\u00edona\u2019s right, it\u2019s the cast, it\u2019s the love. And Caitr\u00edona herself, you know sharing all these amazing moments with her is so special. I\u2019m really lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

To mark the end of the show, Balfe and Heughan will watch the finale with an audience today; they both are looking forward to it, but there will be tears. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d get emotional. I\u2019m going to be bawling again, I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d get emotional during this time, and I\u2019ve been super emotional all day, it\u2019s been very odd,\u201d Balfe confessed.<\/p>\n

All episodes of all seasons of \u201cOutlander\u201d are now streaming on Starz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[Editor\u2019s note: The following interview contains spoilers for the series finale of \u201cOutlander.\u201d] Watch our video interviews with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[17899,8,17900,9,17901,17902,7,1813],"class_list":{"0":"post-29356","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-caitriona-balfe","9":"tag-headlines","10":"tag-interviews","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-outlander","13":"tag-sam-heughan","14":"tag-top-stories","15":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116583003775570473","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}