'Outlander' star Sam Heughan reacts to fans who are convinced he's dating costar Caitriona Balfe in real life: 'The majority of our fans are awesome'

• "Outlander" star Sam Heughan told Insider the "majority" of fans of the Starz drama are "awesome."
• "If there are one or two that are slightly on the fringes of society, then so be it," Heughan said.

"Outlander" star Sam Heughan shared his thoughts on the Starz drama's devoted fanbase in a recent interview with Insider.

"I think we've all had our own experiences and certainly some have been quite unique," Heughan said when asked about his experience with the show's viewers. "But the majority of our fans are awesome and we love interacting with them."

"If there are one or two that are slightly on the fringes of society, then so be it," the actor continued, after reiterating that the show's fans are "just terrific."

Heughan was referring to a small but passionate faction of "Outlander" viewers who believe that he and costar Caitriona Balfe are secretly dating in real life.

In a January interview with Vanity Fair, the "Belfast" actress discussed how some fans are even convinced that the child she recently had with her husband, Anthony McGill, is really Heughan's, since bedsheets in the background of a baby picture were apparently similar to some in Heughan's photos. The former model also said in the interviews that fans called a church on her wedding day to ascertain whether her marriage to McGill was "real" and that some may have even hired private investigators to prove that Balfe and Heughan were dating.

Heughan told Insider that he and Balfe were initially caught off guard by the passionate fanbase "Outlander" garnered soon after its release.

"I think both of us were unaware of having more celebrity status, or just interacting with fans, I think we were both very, very open," Heughan said, adding, "I think we've probably become a little bit more protective now."

Elsewhere in the interview, Heughan said that filming some sex scenes during the show's first season wasn't always an easy experience.

"On a personal note, they are always pretty uncomfortable. It's not the most natural thing," Heughan said of the show's sex scenes. "Certainly for my character, having to go through the the assault and rape at the end of the first season, was pretty tough."