\n<\/p>\n
Heughan and Balfe as Jamie and Claire on season eight of Outlander<\/em> in 2026.<\/span>Robert Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Now that the horny antics of Heated Rivalry<\/em><\/a> are sweeping the globe, what would Balfe tell breakout stars Connor Storrie<\/strong> and Hudson Williams<\/strong><\/a> about navigating their newfound fame? \u201cI haven\u2019t seen Heated Rivalry<\/em><\/a> yet,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut it seems that phenomenon far eclipses our show. You got to just be grateful for the experience,\u201d Balfe continues, adding with a laugh: \u201cAnd make sure that you send messages to your parents not to watch certain episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n And a word of warning from one half of TV\u2019s most beloved onscreen couples to another: know when to log off. \u201cThe fans have been beyond generous, sending so much love towards us, and initiatives we\u2019ve supported. That has far eclipsed the negativity,\u201d says Balfe. But she\u2019s also learned the value in staying offline. \u201cIn the beginning, we were all so much more active on social media, or at least I used to be back in the day before it became a cesspool,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard not to absorb some of it. But then you quickly realize these people aren\u2019t in my life. My life is not online.\u201d<\/p>\n These days, Balfe utilizes her social platform to raise awareness for causes close to her heart, including the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve always been politically literate and voiced my opinions before I was an actor,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you\u2019re standing up for children, that just goes without saying. That to me isn\u2019t even being political, that\u2019s being a human being. We should all be able to just blanketly agree that children should be protected. That shouldn\u2019t be picking a side. If you’re alive at this moment, you should be able to just live how you want.\u201d Although Balfe is inclined to get politically involved, each actor must make that decision for themselves, she adds, \u201cI don\u2019t think that we should be policing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Balfe often felt a calling towards advocacy during her eight seasons on Outlander<\/em>. At the start of season five, she and Heughan became executive producers alongside mainstay EPs<\/a> Ronald D. Moore<\/strong>, Maril Davis<\/strong>, and Matthew B. Roberts<\/strong>. \u201cThe writers changed every season. Sam and I were the throughline that had to filter all these different voices that were coming in so that the character remained the same throughout,\u201d she explains now. \u201cLike with any job, if you\u2019re going to be somewhere for a decade, you need to keep growing. You need to keep adding to your skillset, otherwise you become stagnant.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n