'Outlander' Stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are Now Producers

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For the last four seasons, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe have been series leads on the hit Starz series, Outlander. Now, as if that weren't enough, the two have also been made producers for the upcoming fifth season. Although this decision happened late in development of the season, it has greatly changed their roles, giving them more say, but also more responsibility. In an interview with Parade, Balfe opened up about the new season and what it has been like to take on a new part.

Gettyimages | Michael Kovac

When we re-unite with Claire, Jamie, and Brianna, they will have been living for a few years in North Carolina, Claire will be happily practicing medicine, and they'll live a happy, peaceful existence. Except when they don't--The drama we've come to expect from Outlander won't be dying down anytime soon, according to Balfe, whose character will continue to take risks in order to heal and protect those she loves. She teased a little bit of the upcoming season, saying "I have a storyline towards the end of the season that’s very challenging."

In her interview with Parade, Balfe explained to journalist Paulette Cohn what her new role actually entailed: So far, she has enjoyed "being able to sit in on all the production meetings, see how it’s run," and promises to make sure it's not just a "vanity title". She and Heughan also get to read the scripts earlier, and be a part of the meetings during which other producers and writers break the season and the characters down, so she gets to see what goes into the story of each episode.

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When you've been playing a character for five years, you would hope that your experience with them would evolve. This has been the case for Balfe, as she explained the differences between playing Claire initially and in the most recent season: "I think in the beginning, you’re creating so many memories for a character and they’re purely out of your imagination... Whereas now, five years in, every scene you do is like a memory from that person’s life...So, in that way, the prep is a little bit different..." she told Cohn.

Gettyimages | Dia Dipasupil

Outlander is, at its heart, a fantastical historical romance. Stereotypically, one might expect the show to be popular only among women, but the drama is a hit with men as well. Balfe believes that the story isn't just a "woman's tale," as it focusses on whole families and has become more of an ensemble story. She doesn't believe that only women like romance--men want love too! The universal themes, the rivetting storylines, and the fact that they "ground it in very real and honest moments," makes it a truly powerful story.