Things will be rocky for Jamie and Claire when “Outlander” picks back up for the second half of its first season on Saturday. But Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire, says off screen she and co-star Sam Heughan have had amazing chemistry since their first meeting.
“It was quite instantaneous,” the actress told TheWrap in a new episode of “Drinking With the Stars.” “When I first met Sam at our chemistry test… he was just the nicest guy. He just put me at ease, and I was a little nervous. He’s just that kind of solid, grounded guy.”
Despite their real-life chemistry, the onscreen relationship between the newlyweds is about to hit some major speed bumps. The last we saw them, Claire had left Jamie in order to try to return to the 1940s and her other husband Frank (Tobias Menzies). Instead, she ended up in the clutches of Black Jack Randall.
“I think people find it very hard to imagine why on Earth she would ever leave Jamie,” Balfe admitted about her character’s decision. “I think for her, it was almost just an instinct.”
Even though a large chunk of the show’s viewers have read the books and are aware of all the twists and turns headed Claire and Jamie’s way, Balfe remained tight-lipped about giving away too many spoilers.
“Hopefully there’s also a vast amount of the audience who are new to the series who haven’t yet gotten to the books,” she said. “Hopefully we’re going to encourage them to go and read the books as well. We want to keep things fresh for them as well and not give away too much.”