Caitriona Balfe at the ATX TV Festival
Outlander icon Caitriona Balfe made the brave decision to wear a full-length leather gown (probably made by some famous designer) to the ATX TV Festival in June.
She was there with executive producer Maril Davis to tease details to fans about Season 7. Your resident Show-only Sassenach columnist was there to witness Cait and Maril in their full-fledged Outlander icon glory (while simultaneously being ready to plug my ears should the possibility of book spoilers be discussed.)
Sadly, Sophie Skelton was unable to make it in person, but she looked incredibly glamorous, apologizing to the throng of Outlander fans via video chat for missing the panel in person — curse you, flight delays!
Ironically, there weren’t a lot of details divulged about Outlander Season 7 at the panel — based on what I’ve seen from promotional material and the clips shown at the panel, it looks like Jamie is pledging allegiance to the American flag in the seventh season? Also, Brianna is pregnant again? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN, Y’ALL? (Sounds like Kat needs to rewatch some season six scenes…LOL. -Sarah)
Cait did reveal that she will be directing an episode for Outlander Season 8, but based on what she said at the panel, it sounds like she’s already thrown on a director’s hat already in some capacity! (She revealed she had directed Sophie for some yet-to-be-released scenes but deadpanned that Sam hadn’t dealt with her as a director just yet.)
Both Cait and Maril gave a shoutout to the Outlander writers (who weren’t in attendance due to the ongoing writer’s strike). Fans around me clutched their Outlander books eagerly as Cait and Maril discussed the challenges of balancing 12-14 hour shooting days and motherhood.
Cait cracked a joke about the fact that she used to study her scripts diligently, but now that she’s a mother, she’s just happy to have the words memorized (seriously, if you’ve never had a chance to see Cait speak in person during a panel, go for her alone — she had the audience in stitches the whole time with her dry sense of humor.)
This season on Outlander — Jamie gets even hotter! (Spoiler alert, I guess?)
One thing that was wonderfully obvious from the panel was Cait’s close bond with Sam — the Outlander star admitted that their busy schedules meant they couldn’t hang out off-set as much as they used to, but the pair were still great friends and continue to be to this day.
Cait also recounted how a horse managed to ruin her costume and Sam’s in one scene while filming a previous season, ruining the day of a new crew member who had just joined the Outlander production team that week!
All in all, I left the panel that day still having no clue what will happen in Outlander Season 7. How on Earth does Claire escape being condemned for Malva’s murder? Who murdered her ANYWAY? (My bet is still on Adso, and I’m sticking to it.)
One lovely detail I’m happy to disclose occurred after the panel was over — here’s the thing about panels, if you’re fast enough, you might be able to (politely, y’all, POLITELY) ask one of the stars for a selfie or autograph. I managed to get Cait’s attention, and she agreed to snap a selfie with me before her attention was grabbed by a million other fans also wanting time with the star.
However, before her publicist escorted her offstage, Cait remembered that she had agreed to snap a quick selfie with me, so she made sure to do so before exiting. So in case, you were wondering – yes, the woman is a great actress, a hilarious Irish lass, and a total sweetheart.
Outlander Season 7 premieres THIS FRIDAY. Grab your whiskey glasses; we’re in for one heck of a ride!
