- 4 hours ago
As ‘Outlander’ comes to an end, stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe sit down with creators Matthew B. Roberts and Maril Davis for an emotional look back at eight seasons of the hit drama. From their first audition together, where Caitriona was sure to wear a tartan dress–to filming the final scene, the cast and creative team share behind-the-scenes stories, favorite memories, and the moments that defined Claire and Jamie Fraser’s epic love story.
Hear how the Scottish Highlands created unexpected movie magic throughout the series — including the perfectly timed breeze during Season 1 and the haunting light that transformed Black Jack Randall’s final battle scene. The team also reveals their favorite villains, the biggest storylines that almost never made it onscreen, and surprising creative decisions that changed the course of the show. Plus, the creators discuss the crucial guidance from author Diana Gabaldon that helped shape the ‘Outlander’ finale.
Hear how the Scottish Highlands created unexpected movie magic throughout the series — including the perfectly timed breeze during Season 1 and the haunting light that transformed Black Jack Randall’s final battle scene. The team also reveals their favorite villains, the biggest storylines that almost never made it onscreen, and surprising creative decisions that changed the course of the show. Plus, the creators discuss the crucial guidance from author Diana Gabaldon that helped shape the ‘Outlander’ finale.
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00:00How do you say goodbye?
00:01And I think when I was Jamie, there wasn't a separation.
00:04But now, I sort of look back and I'm like, oh, yeah,
00:06and this character, and I think he's always there.
00:08You know, I've got a full Jamie Fraser outfit at home, so.
00:17How did you say goodbye to yours?
00:18I went into the retreat.
00:20Oh, yeah?
00:22You know, you hear of people kind of struggling
00:24to sort of close a chapter on something like that.
00:27And, you know, I have a small child,
00:30so I wanted to do something that was sort of contained
00:34and I could sort of go and honor my character
00:38and say goodbye properly.
00:40And so I did.
00:41I went and did a meditation and yoga retreat.
00:44Buried yourself.
00:45I think that's lovely.
00:47I can see someone does it.
00:48That Sam likes to slag me off about.
00:50No, I mean, I wrote a letter to my characters.
00:52Aw.
00:54Yeah, but that's very sweet.
00:55Yeah, it was, yeah, I mean, I think it's like,
00:57how do you say goodbye?
00:58And I think when I was Jamie,
01:02there wasn't a separation,
01:03but now I sort of look back and I'm like,
01:05oh, yeah, this character.
01:06And I think he's always there.
01:07Yeah.
01:08He's always part of you.
01:09And, you know, I've got a full Jamie Fraser outfit at home,
01:12so I'm sure.
01:14Have you put it on again?
01:15I haven't put it on.
01:15I don't think I ever will, but it's kind of cool.
01:18It's cool to, like, have it there.
01:19But, yeah, it's part of you.
01:21But I think, and I'm sure you feel this way as well,
01:23you know, when I was on my retreat,
01:25I think one of the things that I was hit with the most was
01:28that Claire had been my greatest teacher, you know,
01:32that I learned so much over the years from her.
01:36And inhabiting somebody who has her qualities for that long,
01:40it's, you know, it's such a gift.
01:42I can't imagine sort of inhabiting somebody who had, like,
01:45a darkness at their core or something like that for that long.
01:48So it was just an incredible gift to inhabit somebody
01:51who was so positive and someone I could look up to so much.
02:02I have everything I've ever knew I wanted.
02:08I hope you've had everything you wanted.
02:10The last scene we shot together,
02:12it was quite an epic moment, wasn't it?
02:16We were very aware of this real Outlander scene in bed,
02:20seven minute long, I think?
02:22Seven pages for sure. Seven pages of dialogue.
02:26Claire and Jamie just, I don't know, being really sweet with each other.
02:30But behind the camera we had, you know, all the crew came to watch.
02:34All the executives, all the production staff,
02:37a lot of the cast came.
02:38I think it started filling up as the day went.
02:41Yeah.
02:42The first lighting and takes and stuff.
02:44But I think, I'm not sure, did we stay in the room?
02:47Because I don't remember being as aware of it, but I think I wanted to go out.
02:51You guys didn't pop out.
02:52We were in bed, so we were like, let's just stay in bed.
02:55It was pretty comfortable here.
02:56You know, when we scheduled this, we did it on purpose.
02:59We scheduled this as the last scene.
03:01It was, well, one, we knew for sure we wanted a scene with just the two of them.
03:05It's a great, it really is a great scene.
03:07It's, you know, a combination of some book stuff and we made some adjustments.
03:12I made some adjustments to it a little bit.
03:14But, you know, I don't usually sit there and watch the scene being filmed and get,
03:17you know, teary-eyed.
03:18But, you know, I was welling up a little bit.
03:20Oh, did we crack the heart?
03:23Maybe.
03:23Yeah.
03:24But also, I think it is our tradition to try to end a season on a Jamie Clare scene.
03:31We always try to do that.
03:32And I think, and we always schedule that because it's like a nice button to the season.
03:36I have a question about when you were cutting it, because I saw the episode yesterday and
03:41I was like, oh, we don't, because I was convinced I was going to be looking like this in the
03:46thing.
03:46And I was like, oh, they, it looks actually pretty together.
03:49That's how I felt, because you, your closeup was the last thing we shot.
03:53Which was like, oh, yeah.
03:54And we just felt-
03:54But I don't think there is that much of a closeup.
03:57No.
03:57Is that the reason there's not?
03:58No.
03:58I don't know.
03:59No.
03:59I mean-
04:01Was it hard to cut around the emotion?
04:03No.
04:04We used pretty much what was there.
04:06You know?
04:06I mean, there wasn't a lot of, like, let's not use this or that.
04:11I mean, Imer didn't film a ton of coverage on it.
04:15So that was, that's what I liked.
04:18We treated it, you know, when talking to Imer in the tone more like it was a play.
04:23You know what I mean?
04:23Let you guys just go for it.
04:24It was-
04:25I'm just surprised by how actually we managed to get through it.
04:28Yeah.
04:28I remember just the emotion sort of-
04:30But it fits.
04:31I mean, that's why we-
04:32I mean, I deliberately talked to Patrick about it.
04:34This is the scene we wanted to end on.
04:36One, because you would get to lay down the whole scene.
04:39And-
04:39Our favorite.
04:40Two, it was very fitting for what the show was.
04:44But it kind of had it all in it.
04:47You know what I mean?
04:47Yeah.
04:48It kind of had it all in it.
04:49It talks about the whole-
04:50It's very cyclical, just talking about the base and getting things you want,
04:55but not realizing that's what you wanted and a different life than you imagined you'd have.
05:00But it's a very-
05:01I love that scene.
05:02It's very emotional.
05:03It's actually one of my favorite of the finale.
05:06Yeah.
05:06I mean, at least the rap rap.
05:09You know, there's always stuff to shoot at, but-
05:11Yeah.
05:11There's always pick-ups.
05:13Pick-ups and all the-
05:13And the ends and the ends and the ends.
05:15It was the last scene, but then it really wasn't.
05:17Yeah.
05:17Because we-
05:18I remember-
05:19I finished-
05:20I know when we went-
05:21We went to-
05:22The Ghost, yeah.
05:23To the Stoves.
05:24Because we had to-
05:24We were gonna go earlier than-
05:26Young Jamie.
05:27They needed a lot of-
05:28You looked very young.
05:29They needed a lot of work to get me into the-
05:31No.
05:32No.
05:32I think so.
05:33You looked very young.
05:34Thank you, darling.
05:35You're very welcome.
05:36I almost assumed that you guys shot that fact in season one.
05:39See?
05:40Oh.
05:41Wow.
05:41That's a lot of making.
05:42Look at that.
05:43Thank you very much.
05:44Actually, I think it just shows you-
05:45I think we weather Sam a lot during shooting and his natural is-
05:50I wouldn't say that was natural.
05:52That was-
05:52It was all the face gym and the-
05:55I think the-
05:56The pool and the-
05:56Wendy was there with the-
05:58Yes, Wendy.
05:58What actually aged was the hill.
06:02Forgive me.
06:04You know, there's a lot of talk about the ending and about how we're gonna do it.
06:07Yeah.
06:07And-
06:08It was kind of interesting.
06:09Everyone had their own opinion about how it should end.
06:11And I think this ending, you know, for me, you know, seeing the ghost was something that
06:16I really wanted to happen and I think the fans really wanted it.
06:19Yeah.
06:19So I think it's gonna be-
06:20I think we talked early in the-
06:22When we first met early in the season, I said we were gonna do it.
06:25Yeah.
06:25So it was just how we were gonna get there.
06:28Yeah.
06:28And oddly enough, because we were gonna end in season-
06:32We thought we were gonna end at the end of season seven.
06:34But I had this idea a long time ago in season six.
06:37Cause I wanted to-
06:38You know, you gotta run it through the mill, so to speak.
06:43And-
06:44But even pitching it and talking to the studio network, it was only a very few people that
06:48ever heard it.
06:49Or even read it.
06:51Cause that page never came out.
06:58I pitched the ending to Diana long before I even put it on paper.
07:03You know, she gave me a little insight on what was gonna be in book 10.
07:08Not a lot, but where she was going to take it.
07:12So I wrote a couple endings that would fit that.
07:16So if it ever-
07:17If the book came out and those endings-
07:19If somebody read it, they would go, oh, that fits the book.
07:22We didn't publish the full script at the table read.
07:26But you guys knew that wasn't gonna be a part of it.
07:29We were-
07:30You know, security-wise, we wanted to keep the ending, obviously, you know, very tight.
07:36And so we read some of the alternate endings, which could have easily played.
07:43But it was emotional.
07:44I mean, it was emotional, you know, for me, just, you know, when we did the first read-through,
07:49it was emotional.
07:50You guys started, you know, couldn't even look at you.
07:53Katrina and I were next to each other going-
07:56I couldn't look at Meryl, for sure.
07:58I started to cry as soon as Lauren Lyle introduced her full name.
08:03Yeah.
08:04Marceley McKimmon.
08:06But actually, on the last read-through, we had a chorus singing the Sky Boat song.
08:12And it was very emotional.
08:13And the first read-through, the last first read-through, we had a piper come in,
08:22which is actually full circle from our first read-through, which we also had a piper.
08:26That piped us in, and we had all the studio network execs there.
08:30That's what was gonna happen every read-through.
08:33I was like, oh, are these read-throughs?
08:35We go to a big grand hall.
08:37Well, yeah, we did it in the great hall.
08:40Season three, we went to, when we were in South Africa, we went, you know-
08:42Oh, yeah.
08:43We went to a vineyard.
08:44A vineyard, yeah.
08:45At once.
08:45And then by season six, it was Zooms for times.
08:50I think you gained so much information from hearing a room of people speak out the lines.
08:56There's a way of when it's spoken out loud, the energy in the room, the way people are delivering the
09:02lines that affect the other person.
09:05It's just, you know, so valuable, I think, as for actors and, you know, for writers and producers.
09:11I watch a lot of the other people when we're in the same room together.
09:15I wanna watch people react.
09:16You would change, wouldn't you?
09:17You'd change things.
09:17All the time.
09:18Yeah.
09:19But I would watch how other people react.
09:21So if you two were reading a scene together, I'm watching how people are reacting to the scene.
09:27And if the lines are landing at all.
09:29And that ending was never read aloud.
09:31No.
09:32And, I mean, we've read it on the, rehearsed it on the day and stuff like that.
09:36But yeah, we never, we just rehearsed it up on the hill.
09:39You know how when Katrina, filming the first part of Outlander in season one, goes up to the stones.
09:46And you had that really magical moment with the wind blowing right at the perfect moment.
09:51And I was telling somebody when we went up there to finish, the day was ridiculous.
09:57It was stunning.
09:58Yeah.
09:58I mean, you couldn't order it up a better day.
10:01And it felt really like Scotland saying, you know, I gave you a little magic in the beginning.
10:08And now I'm gonna give you a little magic at the end.
10:11It's a fairy hill.
10:12And it really, it really was magical.
10:14And I think we all felt it.
10:17And I think, you know, when you guys were up there on day, you know, whatever, when you
10:20guys went up there and that, I was just watching it the other day.
10:25You have a shawl and you walk up real slow.
10:27And you lean down and look at the flowers.
10:29And then there's a wind that blows.
10:31We talk about that every time.
10:33Every take.
10:33I would turn and it would just go.
10:35But it's not.
10:37It's not when you're looking at the flowers.
10:39It's only when she turns.
10:40Yeah.
10:40And it was really, it's kind of weird.
10:42Good continuity there.
10:43Yeah.
10:44Scotland does continuity.
10:45It does.
10:45It does.
10:46She does it very well.
10:47You forgive me too.
10:51Forgive.
10:54I remember walking into this room and being very nervous.
10:57And of course, I got caught in traffic.
10:59So I may have been running a few minutes late.
11:01I was very sweaty.
11:03And I walk in.
11:04I was more sweaty.
11:05Oh, now knowing you.
11:06Yeah, you probably were.
11:08But you were stood next to this kind of, it was like a little table and you handed me
11:12a tissue.
11:13It was very sweet.
11:15Put this under your arms.
11:16Like here, mop your brow, you sweaty woman, you.
11:20Sam had already been cast.
11:22And he was in LA auditioning lots of actresses.
11:26I may have read with one or two.
11:30And you had on the dress.
11:32I, yes, I wore a tartan dress to my audition.
11:36Yeah.
11:36It was really cute.
11:37Actually, there was an instant chemistry just watching it as an observer.
11:40I think you both felt very natural together.
11:44We did.
11:44We got along like straight away.
11:46I mean, you could still see like a sort of nervousness.
11:49I mean, it's an odd situation, isn't it?
11:51And there was a lot riding on it as well.
11:52But it's a big dramatic scene.
11:54It's a real outlander scene that then obviously was, we shot in the show.
11:58I just remembered I had to take my shoes off.
12:01Do you remember that?
12:01Because I came in in high heels.
12:02Because, you know, I was being a good actress in my heels and like all dolled up.
12:06And they were like, take your heels off.
12:07And then I was like, that height.
12:09Because I watched the test recently.
12:12And we got really quite physical with each other as well.
12:15I think that's really interesting.
12:17Like you never sort of stood down.
12:19Like Claire never stands down.
12:20Did the other actresses get so physical?
12:22Not so much.
12:24And then the first scene we shot together on camera.
12:28The shoulder.
12:29I think it was the shoulder.
12:30Yeah.
12:30It was the dislocation.
12:32Yeah.
12:32In the copter's cottage.
12:34Stand aside at once.
12:36You'd break his arm if you do it like that.
12:38Yeah.
12:38Which was a set on one of our few sound stages that we've now got many more.
12:44And then we got eight.
12:45Yeah.
12:45Got eight.
12:46Yeah.
12:46But that was an interesting scene, wasn't it?
12:49Because there was also a lot of Gaelic in the scene.
12:51Yeah.
12:53Dang dear.
12:57It doesn't hurt anymore.
12:58Yeah.
12:58You'd been working for a while, hadn't you?
13:00You'd done like a week or two.
13:01Myself and Tobias had had about two weeks of sunshine.
13:05Yeah.
13:05And we were driving around in a vintage car.
13:08And it was all, like I remember there was like rainbows all the time.
13:12It was sunny.
13:13And then.
13:14We were in like glamorous, like 40s clothes.
13:17Yeah.
13:17And then the minute we started shooting with the Highlanders, it did not stop raining.
13:20For weeks.
13:21For about six months.
13:22Was that torrent of mud?
13:23Remember the torrent of mud that just flowed down through Took?
13:25Yeah.
13:26That place Took.
13:27That Took, yeah.
13:28Yeah.
13:28Oh my God.
13:29And that was it for the next 12 years.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Exactly.
13:32Coming home.
13:34To family.
13:35Slanger.
13:37People wanted a strong relationship between a man and a woman to root for.
13:41And love a love story.
13:44And I love the fact that this show showed people that people want that.
13:48That I think was one of the first that came out and said, oh, this is a romance.
13:52And I hate that term, but it's that this kind of show could succeed.
13:56Yeah.
13:57And show a strong female character, a strong male character who were equals, which I also
14:02love.
14:02And I think is such a great thing to project out into the world.
14:06So.
14:06I think actually the beginning there was a little bit of perhaps I sensed that people
14:12not disdain, but they're like, oh, this it's a rom-com.
14:15It's a corset.
14:16The bodice ripper.
14:16Bodice ripper.
14:18Which we've never ripped one.
14:20I tried.
14:20They're unrippable.
14:21Yeah.
14:22We've been told.
14:22We literally, I went into costume once and I'm like, you cannot rip them.
14:26It's impossible to rip.
14:28Yeah.
14:28But we filmed in the first season just to show how long it takes to get dressed.
14:33Remember, we did that 20 minute take of you getting dressed.
14:36Yeah.
14:37It's like, this is great TV, guys.
14:39This is great.
14:40Which was a great book game because the last scene that we filmed that season was you
14:44putting on the kilt.
14:45Lying down and putting your kilt on.
14:46Yeah.
14:47That was always fun in early seasons when we had quite small trailers.
14:50Yeah.
14:51We had a two way.
14:53And his side of the trailer would just start rocking and you're like, what is he doing?
14:59He's lying down.
15:00Lying down.
15:01Folding his kilt and wrapping it around.
15:07When we know we're going to do something big, we call Diane and go, hey, we're going
15:12to go down this path.
15:13How do you feel about it?
15:14We want to, of course, get her sign off on it.
15:17If she hated something so desperately, we wouldn't go down that way.
15:20We wanted to keep Blackjack alive.
15:23And the studio and the network really wanted to keep Blackjack alive.
15:26So we called her and asked her and she said, I wish you wouldn't do that.
15:29So he died.
15:30You filmed it.
15:31I remember it.
15:32Filmed Blackjack.
15:34Oh, he's opening again on the battlefield.
15:36Oh, really?
15:36Yeah.
15:37We were hoping.
15:38She said no.
15:40So he died.
15:45Even in the full circle, just before when we went to Culloden battlefield at the end of
15:52season two, it was really cool that we recreated the battlefield prior to actually seeing it.
15:59That was my moment where I kind of realized the show's going to mean a lot to a lot of
16:04people
16:04in different ways.
16:05Yeah.
16:06Well, it was such a big pivotal moment as well.
16:08I'd say something I'm proud of is, you know, it's a big moment in Scottish history.
16:12And to film it, I think a lot of the Scots were really excited.
16:15And then, you know, for it to also be the end of that story.
16:18I love the way that sort of that journey with Jamie, it's like, you know, it really shaped
16:23who Jamie is.
16:24And then we died in each other's, well, he died in my arms.
16:27And it was just that weird sort of sequence where, you know, sort of all night he's lying
16:31there with his body on top of him.
16:33And it just was amazing.
16:35And that fight actually, I think, is incredible.
16:37Yeah.
16:37It's great.
16:38And the light that we got that day, that was Scotland.
16:43It made that so special.
16:45It was amazing.
16:46He's so fun to watch, Tobias.
16:48I mean, he's just such a master.
16:50And he's, that is such a great villain because he's so mesmerizing.
16:55I think all great villains are.
16:56But he's just, his story was so interesting.
16:59And he's just such a fabulous actor and person.
17:01So it is, you know, I just love Tobias.
17:03And it was such a nice, like, counterbalance.
17:06Like when you see him be so sweet and like, like, kind of buffoonishly dreary as Frank.
17:13Like, it was just like such a sweet kind of character.
17:15And then he was so dangerous and evil.
17:18And also some people think Frank is a villain as well.
17:21So, I mean, they're crazy.
17:23Forget all about that.
17:24This is all that truly matters now.
17:28You know what I loved about the villains?
17:30They didn't feel cookie cutter.
17:33Like, each one brought something different to the table.
17:36Like, Sandringham was so different than, you know, Tryon.
17:41And Galus is so different than Leary.
17:44Galus is a brilliant character.
17:45You know, all the subtle differences.
17:47So you didn't feel like you were getting Bonnet was off his rocker, you know, in a lot of ways.
17:52Yeah.
17:52But he certainly didn't feel like Blackjack.
17:54No.
17:54We weren't repeating villains.
17:56Yeah.
17:56And I think, like, Galus, like, that was a villain who there was times that you really sympathized with her.
18:02And it was such a, I mean, and Lotta did such an incredible job.
18:06I mean, I saw a little clip from The Witch Trial the other day.
18:11That was such a great episode.
18:13Yeah.
18:13And she was amazing.
18:15That little church we were in for like a week.
18:17The church and, you know, Mike Barker had, like, got all of the extras so riled up.
18:23Yeah.
18:23And it was really, like, it felt like theater.
18:27This is nonsense.
18:28I didn't hex anybody.
18:30It's really hard to sustain just your passion.
18:35And I think that was always the biggest fear going back into each, like, each season.
18:39You're like, oh, my God, like, will I be able to dig deep again for this?
18:42Because it does ask so much of you.
18:45And I think that, you know, having been such an inexperienced actor going into this show,
18:51I think the thing that I'm the most proud of is that I was able to work that hard and
18:58dig that deep.
19:00Year after year.
19:01You know, that's, if you knew me prior to Outlander, mightn't be what you would be like.
19:06Yeah.
19:07Her.
19:07She can do that.
19:09Like, I didn't know I was able to do that.
19:11So I think I'm proud that I could.
19:13You know, there's nothing like walking onto set every morning and just saying good morning to everybody.
19:18And, like, Scottish people are so funny and they have the best banter.
19:22And that kind of thing I miss a lot.
19:24But, weirdly, I also miss the thing that I thought I wouldn't miss as much, which is standing out in
19:31the forest or the hills or whatever.
19:33I miss that so much.
19:35Yeah.
19:35Like, Scotland is one of the most beautiful countries, second to Ireland.
19:42Oh, here we go.
19:43Oh, here we go.
19:43And, uh, it's just, I miss that.
19:46I miss that being my office.
19:49It was very special.
19:51You were, like, you'd curse, you know, getting up at whatever time, four or five, whatever.
19:55And then you're, like, what?
19:57And then you're standing and watching the sun come up or wherever you are.
20:00Yeah.
20:00And the bird song.
20:02And, like, just so pretty and beautiful.
20:06Yeah.
20:08It's been a pleasure working with you guys and a pleasure presenting Outlander for all the amazing fans.
20:14Thank you, fam.
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