Outlander Stars Reflect on Emotional Farewell as Series Wraps Final Season

“Outlander” is set to return with the concluding episodes of its seventh season this month, but its stars have already wrapped official production on the series’ eighth and final season.

Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who have captivated audiences as time traveler Claire and 18th-century Highlander Jamie, recently shared their poignant farewell. Speaking shortly after their official wrap day, with only a few pick-up shots remaining, the stars reflected on their final scene for the upcoming season.

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“It was very emotional. I was very emotional,” Balfe revealed.

“I was, too,” Heughan echoed. “We ended on a scene that was quintessentially Jamie and Claire, so it felt quite fitting. I believe they scheduled it that way. But it was also intense because many crew members gathered to celebrate or watch the final take of the final scene.”

Balfe added, “There were a lot of words. It was really hard to get through it because everything seemed to have a double meaning, you know, with a lot of talk about goodbyes and things.”

Based on the books by Diana Gabaldon and primarily filmed in Scotland, the long-running show has spanned multiple time periods, including the Jacobite Rising, 1740s Versailles, 1960s Boston, and the Revolutionary War.

“I played Jamie when he was 23, and now he’s around 60. It’s quite a journey,” Heughan reflected. “The show is always evolving, always moving. From Scotland to America, it’s been a real journey. I’m glad we didn’t end up in a procedural where we had to stay in the same location all the time.”

The concluding half of Season 7, premiering Nov. 22 on Starz, sees the couple returning to Jamie’s homeland of Scotland before the Revolutionary War beckons once more, testing their marriage like never before.

“Returning home is going to be rewarding for Jamie, but also for the fans,” Heughan said. “Fans will get to see a lot of their favorite characters and locations.”

The latest episodes will weave in storylines involving Claire and Jamie’s time-traveling daughter Brianna and her husband Roger (Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin), Jamie’s nephew Ian (John Bell), as well as Jamie’s secret son William (Charles Vandervaart) and the British lord raising him.

Season 7 will also feature one of Heughan’s favorite co-stars, a character fans will not see in Season 8.

“It’s actually the last time you see Sleepy,” Heughan mentioned. “He was my horse throughout the first seasons. He’s a black Friesian with a white spot. If you look closely, he somehow transports himself to America as well, doubling up as a horse in America. We say goodbye to a lot of locations and characters in Season 7B.”

With the final season still to come and the “Outlander” universe expanding with the upcoming prequel “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” the story will continue for fans, though Balfe and Heughan will have to adapt to their “Droughtlander” — the term fans coined for periods without the show.

“It’s been our lives for the last 11 years. We’ve built families and homes in Scotland,” Heughan concluded. “It’s quite a change that we’re about to face.”