‘Outlander’ star Caitriona Balfe on show’s ‘herstory’ focus, upcoming 2nd season

TORONTO – The epic time-travelling series “Outlander” will delve deeper into the bloody politics of 18th-century Scotland but remains more “herstory” than “history,” suggests star Caitriona Balfe.

The Irish actress says the sprawling romance/fantasy/historical drama kicks off with her time-jumping Second World War nurse Claire arriving in Paris with her husband, 18th-century Scotsman Jamie, intent on infiltrating Parisian high society and stopping the Jacobite Uprising of 1745.

As with other details from the series, recounting this bit of real-world history is about more than just dramatizing important turning points, it’s about offering up a fresh look at the past, says Balfe.

She points to the colour-blind hip hop musical “Hamilton” — and its modern look back at the U.S. founding father — as another historical project challenging our understanding of the past.

“History is ‘his story’ and as you see with things like ‘Hamilton’ and all of these things, now people are going back and they’re like, ‘Well, it wasn’t all written by middle-aged white men, so let’s see what was going on in the rest of the place,’” Balfe says during a visit to Toronto on Friday.

As such, Balfe says she’s mindful of keeping the show true to a gender-balanced view of the world. That means challenging the writers when a scene doesn’t quite feel right.

“I continuously question my own barometers on where things should be and sometimes — especially when it comes to the lovemaking scenes — sometimes it’s a room where you have three women and one man having a discussion, sometimes it’s three men and one woman,” says Balfe, whose show is based on Diana Gabaldon’s international bestselling book series.

“The beauty of our show is we give a very balanced view on relationships … but it’s always a negotiation. I feel very strongly that I will fight for certain things for my character and I feel a responsibility towards her.”

The shift to France sets a new tone and visual palate for the second season, she says.

“Visually it’s a very different show. The minute we get to Paris it’s this sumptuous and luxurious place but within that it feels like the most beautiful fruit just slightly rotting,” Balfe says.

“There’s a lot of political manoeuvring and duplicity and underhanded chess playing almost. I think this couple, they’ve taken on a mission to try and change fate and the big theme of this is time and fate. How do you battle against things that are really immovable?”

Claire makes it her mission to prevent Charles Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, from leading a Jacobite rebellion, which she knows will ultimately end with the destruction of Highland culture.

But Balfe notes that Claire is now pregnant, and Jamie, played by Sam Heughan, is struggling to recover from the brutal assaults that closed the first season.

New villains emerge, but the effects of past traumas remain, she teases.

The sweeping costume drama centres on a married Second World War nurse who in 1945 is mysteriously transported back in time to 1743 Scotland.

While there, Claire falls in love and marries the dashing young warrior Jamie Fraser, and draws the ire of a redcoat captain who also happens to be the ancestor of her modern-day husband.

The second season of “Outlander” debuts Sunday on Showcase.