Outlander star Caitriona Balfe has revealed her intense reaction to her final day on set as Claire Fraser.
The Dublin-born star has portrayed the time-travelling heroine for more than 10 years in the hit Starz historical fantasy drama alongside Scottish star Sam Heughan as her Highlander husband, Jamie Fraser.
Season eight begins next Friday, 6th March, and will bring the saga based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon to an epic conclusion.
Ahead of the highly anticipated premiere, Balfe spoke to IGN about her very last day on set, admitting she was an “emotional wreck”.
While she kept spoilers for the season close to the chest, she confirmed that the final scene she shot with Heughan was in Claire and Jamie’s bedroom.
Outlander’s final season premieres on Friday, 6th March(Image: STARZ)
“It was so strange,” she recalled. “You never really know how you’re going to feel.
“Of course it was a seven-page scene in this bedroom and so much dialogue, but it had all of this double meaning about goodbyes, and legacy, and all of these things.”
After a few hours of filming, Balfe continued, the set began to fill up with people, from crew members to producers and even studio execs, who came to watch the Fraser’s final moments.
“It just got harder and harder,” she said, explaining: “every time you say those words, you find this deeper meaning in it that has resonance, not just for the character, but for you and for your journey and all of this.”
Caitriona Balfe experienced ‘spasms’ from crying(Image: STARZ)
By the end of the scene, Balfe shared that she was experiencing “spasms in my forehead and face because I was such an emotional wreck”, and was “sobbing” by the time the director called cut.
After wrapping up her last scene with Heughan, the actress revealed that champagne was quickly brought out and she went around the room to hug everyone, still with tears in her eyes.
She went on: “We all had champagne and people were hugging, but at the same time, I was just going around crying in everyone’s faces like, ‘Oh, thank you so much! I can’t believe you finished’.
“But it was really special. This has been such an incredible journey and it changed all our lives, so it felt momentous.”
The season premiere will include a “shocking” decision from Claire(Image: STARZ)
As well as her emotional final scene, Balfe also teased that one of Claire’s first moments in the season premiere will be “shocking” to fans.
“In that there’s old wounds reopened and there’s grief that is compounded as well as being reawakened,” she hinted.
Season eight is shaping up to be an emotional rollercoaster, so viewers should make sure to have tissues at the ready every Friday night over the next several weeks.