Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe Once Called Their ‘Outlander’ Sex Scenes ‘Slightly Awkward’

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Outlander is infamous for the steamy scenes between stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe.
• The stars have such a strong friendship, it makes those scenes “slightly awkward.”
• Outlander showrunner reveals all of those intimate scenes are carefully planned.

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe are known for steaming up screens on Outlander as Jamie and Claire Fraser. For five seasons (and counting), the duo has bared all in a series that never holds back when it comes to sex and nudity. The chemistry between the two is what makes their steamy sex scenes so mesmerizing. But when Heughan and Balfe first started working together, they called their sex scenes “slightly awkward.”

Sex scenes have been a part of ‘Outlander’ since the pilot

From the very first episode of Outlander, sex has been an important part of Claire’s story. As well as an integral part of her relationship with Jamie. But when the series began, sex was a “bridge” that brought Claire and her first husband Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies) together when they reconnected after World War II.

After Claire travels back in time and meets Jamie, Outlander author Diana Gabaldon says that sex is a way for Jamie and Claire to reconnect each time they are brought back together after a separation.

“They were never intending to marry each other. She wasn’t intending to marry him. He married her mainly because he wanted to sleep with her, to protect her also,” Gabaldon told Express. “But the sexual attraction between them is very strong and is the glue that holds them through some very difficult times.”

There are ‘a lot of people’ in the room when Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe film sex scenes

In 2017, Balfe explained to Entertainment Weekly that sex scenes on a practical level on set are nothing like they appear on TV. She noted that there’s “usually a lot of people in the room.” And, they are “never ever what people think they are.”

“Unless you’re into that and you like to have an audience. I’m not saying that some people aren’t but there we go,” the Irish beauty said. “I walk away from those scenes injured a lot.”

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe described the sex scenes as ‘slightly awkward’ at first

Back in 2014 — when Heughan and Balfe had just landed the roles of Jamie and Claire — the duo admitted that it was “always nerve-racking” knowing they had to film the steamy sex scenes.

“You know, we’re good friends,” Balfe said of her and Heughan’s real-life relationship during an interview with Pop Sugar.

“So it’s kind of like ‘okay, it’s gonna be slightly awkward.’ But it’s also because we’re good friends that we trust each other and know we’re in safe hands. And everyone in the crew is really great. So, I don’t know, give me a shot of whisky and then we’ll just get to it!”

Sam Heughan says his sex scenes with Caitriona Balfe are carefully planned

Heughan told People Magazine in 2018 that all of the steamy scenes he shoots with Balfe are carefully and thoughtfully planned out.

“We work on them very closely with the director and the writer and then Caitriona and I get it on,” Heughan said.

For their famous wedding night sex scene during season 1 — which was Jamie and Claire’s first time — showrunner Matthew B. Roberts says everything was planned out in meticulous detail before the cameras started rolling.

The ‘Outlander’ stars must be comfortable before they film steamy scenes

Roberts said that they tried to make Jamie and Claire’s first sex scene just like any other scene they shot because they didn’t want to make Balfe and Heughan “feel different than they would otherwise.”

“But as the production, we were careful with how we prepped the scene—we gave it much more attention without a doubt. They were choreographed, we got rehearsal, the lighting in the room was tested, there were tests on what the costumes would look like,” Roberts explained.

“We don’t always do that for every scene, there’s not enough time. What we normally do for intimate scenes like this is rehearse first, prior to the day. You want the actors to be comfortable with the moves they’re making—you have to let them be free to open up in front of the crew.”

Outlander season 6 premieres Sunday, March 6 on STARZ.