CAITRIONA BALFE

CLAIRE RANDALL

Claire has really resonated with viewers. Why do you like her?

She feels like someone who is constantly living in the moment. I love that she didn’t crumble into a little ball. She figures out how to get through the situation but also appreciates what she was experiencing at the time.

Claire’s partnership with Jamie is necessary for her safety. What kind of acting partner is Sam Heughan?

From day one at my test, when you meet him he’s just one of the most non- ego- y people. He’s genuine and so supportive. We definitely lean on each other and make sure we are surviving.

How often do you refer to the books?

The scripts are very true to the books but I do go back and do re- reads. I have been a little shy about asking [ author] Diana Gabaldon anything because I feel like so far she says she’s happy about what I’m doing so I don’t want to rock the boat.

What are some highlights of the second half of the season?

I think we’re all very conscious of trying to make everything good but there have been some tough scenes. The scenes in Fort William with Black Jack and Claire were intense. And there’s the showdown between Jamie and Claire after he rescues her and they lay their cards down. It was a great scene to film.

How was it shooting the scene that visualised Claire’s time travel?

I love the way they tackled that because it could so easily go gimmicky: passing through a vortex. No one wanted to go down that road so I loved what they came up with. They had a car frame on a mechanical arm so we’d start out upside down and then they would flip the car and this guy was throwing rubberised glass at me. It was quite funny.