Caitriona Balfe wants to be known as more than just an actress.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, published Thursday, Jan. 6, the Outlander star said that she's been vocal about her desire to direct an episode of the beloved series, which enters its sixth season in March, but thinks her request is "falling a little on deaf ears."
According to Balfe, she planned to direct an episode in season six, but the pandemic, her pregnancy and her role as the lead actress posed some difficulties. She regrets that it wasn't able to happen, saying that it "would've been the perfect chance for me [to direct] in a very safe space."
"I'm so close with all of our camera crew, and they were always having conversations about what lens they're using and what frame it is and they're really always super helpful in giving me as much information as I want," Balfe reflected. "It's a shame, but out of my hands."
Balfe seems additionally dismayed by the lack of response to her and co-star Sam Heughan's request for more gender and racial diversity on the set. According to the 42-year-old actress, she and Heughan raised their concern two years ago, but she hasn't seen much change.
The issue was once again brought to the forefront when she worked on the film Belfast, where she saw more female crew members.
"I think on one hand there's sort of this idea, ‘Well, Scotland's a very predominantly white place and it's an industry that traditionally is much more male-skewed, so it's tough to find these people,'" Balfe reflected. "I'm not sure that's necessarily true. I think there's ways of finding people to bring in."
Moreover, the actress said that becoming a mother has given her a better understanding of why men continue to be a dominant force in the field: "I look at our camera crew, all amazing guys, all of them have become fathers in the eight years we've been filming, but not one of them has had to give up their position."
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She added that parental leave is "something we need to address as an industry," because, even though she's found success as an actress, it's something that impacts all women. As she put it, "By the time you get to a certain age, if you want to have a family at all, you end up stepping off that ladder and I think it's very hard for them to come back in."
Nonetheless, Balfe doesn't regret becoming a mother. She is fiercely protective over her first child, whom she welcomed in August, saying that fans won't see photos of the baby or know his name because of the intensity of their adoration.
She stated, "I don't want those crazies—because that's what they are—I just don't want them talking about him."