Caitriona Balfe, 42, took on the role of Claire Fraser about eight years ago, and fans are obsessed with her original audition tape. Sony Pictures Television released the throwback clip on August 9, in honor of the eighth anniversary of the premiere of Outlander. Sony captioned the post, “From the moment Caitríona Balfe was first discovered, it was crystal clear she was our Claire.”
The narrator of the clip called Caitriona “smart,” “funny,” and “strong,” and attributed those traits to the character that she plays on the hit show. In the video, Caitriona reads a scene from the show’s first season in which Claire is helping tend to Jamie Fraser’s bullet wound. It is clear from the onset of her audition that Caitriona had what it took to create the intimate connection between her and Jamie (Sam Heughan).
Caitriona’s audition tape and several other clips will be included in the upcoming Season 6 Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, Entertainment Weekly reported. Fans of Outlander will be able to purchase the Blu-ray disc beginning on September 20. The special edition disc will have to hold fans over while they await the highly-anticipated seventh season of the Starz series.
Season 7 is expected to be released later this year or in early 2023, Town&Country reported. The outlet also reported that Season 7 will be extended in length, as Season 6 was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in July, Diana Gabaldon, the author of the series, teased the ending of the show on Twitter. Diana wrote, “Don’t pay attention to stupid click-bait online, is my advice. Of course Season 7 _might_ be the last–it may well NOT be the last. Nobody knows that. But people keep pestering, so they get non-answers like, “Maybe” and add silly headlines.” Diana’s tweet was in response to a fan who wrote, “@SamHeughan Really upset when I read @Writer_DG said that season 7 may be the last season of Outlander. I’m really really really sad.”
Season 7 will also be the show’s “biggest season yet,” according to executive producer Maril Davis, who confirmed this to EW back in May. “This is our biggest season yet. We have so many storylines. So many different places. The trajectory — we cover so much terrain,” Maril told the outlet at the time. “It’s such a huge season. We almost can’t wrap our arms around it. It’s not only the extra four episodes, it’s just, the Revolution is here. It’s going to be really exciting.”
Buckle up because Season 7 is sure to be a wild ride!