Few shows have had as big a cultural impact as"Outlander.
It’s the perfect time to reflect on her career so far.
So, without further ado, here is the stunning transformation of Caitriona Balfe.
Her upbringing in Ireland has colored her entire life.
And by the sounds of things, it was certainly an abnormal place to grow up.
When Balfe reached adulthood, her love of literature continued to be a big part of her life.
“You always find her on set with a book,” her co-star Maria Doyle Kennedy said.
“She’s a ferocious reader.”
“First rule of book club…. We read !
Then we talk..!”
she wrote in one of the firstpostsin 2020.
“It’s in you, right?”
she said toBackstagewhen asked about her first inspirations.
After all, her father was something of an amateur actor himself, having appeared in a comedy troupe.
Plus, she added, acting offered a much-needed form of escapism.
“[T]here wasn’t an awful lot of things to do,” she said.
Very, very bold of me."
Balfe dove into her unexpected modeling career, setting off for Paris.
“I always just wanted to travel,” she explained toVanity Fair.
“Growing up, we never did that there were too many of us.
We didn’t have the money.”
Even though Balfe had always dreamed of acting, modeling also appealed to her innate desire to perform.
And she was pretty good at it.
And so, for a while at least, she committed herself to a career in the modeling industry.
Shemodeled all over the worldbut eventually found herself settled down in New York City.
“That’s been the longest of anywhere since I left Ireland,” she toldBackstagein 2020.
After a decade of modeling, Balfe began to crave something new.
“It’s not exactly the nicest industry or the healthiest industry.”
She continued taking classes one was even a $5 class.
For one thing, she only knew one person in the city when she moved.
Initially, she faced rejection after rejection.
“I started from scratch.
But even though Balfe dealt with lots of rejection, she persevered.
Luckily, modeling had given her a thick skin that served her well.
“It was other arbitrary things like your name’s not big enough.
Which can also be soul-destroying, but I don’t know, it’s different.”
Balfe did land a few roles, but they were few and far between.
In 2011, she had a small role in the film “Super 8.”
Slowly, she was building a stronger CV.
“I had done a few jobs, nothing of note really.
At the time, she didn’t realize how big the book series was.
“Apparently, they had been searching for [Claire] for a very long time.”
Balfe landed the role when she was about to head off on a holiday in India.
“And she gave me a grin that was both thrilled and slightly nervous.
I never saw her hesitate after that.”
The first episode premiered at Comic Con.
“It was insane,” she toldVogue.
Soon enough, she began to notice her fame growing.
As she told Backstage, she had only a few hundred followers on Twitter before playing Claire.
That’s when she realized just how big she was becoming.
As Balfe explained toParade, the pair made a conscious decision to become friends before filming even began.
The pair agreed to “have each other’s backs.”
She added, “[W]e’ve done that from day one.”
Since then, the pair have only become closer.
How adorable is that!
Nevertheless, she was starstruck to be working with Roberts.
“I couldn’t stop staring at her during our first read-through,” she toldW Magazine.
Matt Damon also starred in the film.
But she was pleasantly surprised.
There was no ego or bravado.
It was lovely.”
“Belfast,” she explained, was different.
In fact, Balfe even saw her own family in the script.
“I definitely thought of my own mother in playing Ma.”
Clearly, Balfe was extremely proud of the film.
It was a huge hit and quickly generated awards buzz.
However, Balfe remained characteristically humble.
Caitriona Balfe had her first child in 2021
Caitriona Balfe begandating music producer Tony McGill in 2015.
The pair married in 2019, and in 2021, they had their first child.
Naturally, having a child gave Balfe a new set of priorities.
she joked to The Guardian.
Apparently, that’s why she and McGill have kept their son’s name private.
After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA writer/actor strikes, filming for the final season was delayed.
However, Balfe has already begun to mourn the end of the show that gave her her big break.
“It’s going to be so weird.
We can’t wait to see what else she does next.
