The Bold and the Beautiful star Scott Clifton, who plays Liam Spencer, recently shared why his character survived the brain tumor storyline. Earlier this year, fans believed Liam’s days were numbered, but Clifton explained that a sudden change in the script and a big decision from the show’s head writer, Bradley Bell, saved his life on-screen.
Scott Clifton on why Liam wasn’t killed off in The Bold and the Beautiful
When Scott Clifton learned that Liam would be diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor, he thought his time on The Bold and the Beautiful was over. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Clifton said he expected to leave the show after playing Liam since 2010.
However, things didn’t go as expected. At the very last moment, Bell changed his mind and decided not to kill off Liam. Clifton said Bell had been upfront with him about the character’s direction long before the storyline began.
The Liam actor explained, “Brad was really honest and generous with me… He told me he felt that Liam had been written into a corner.” Clifton admitted he had worried about this moment for nearly a decade but appreciated Bradley Bell’s honesty, as he aimed to give the character “a really poignant send-off.”
But just as Clifton was preparing to film Liam’s death scenes, everything changed. Bell called him again and revealed that he had rewritten the ending. Instead of dying, Liam would be shot by Luna, tying two major storylines together.
The new plot revealed that Liam’s brain scans were faked by Dr. Grace Buckingham. She tried to extort money from Liam’s father, Bill Spencer. Bill unknowingly paid her, believing the funds were for an experimental treatment, but in reality, she needed the cash to pay off her ex’s gambling debts.
Scott Clifton admitted he was shocked by the rewrite but impressed with how the show pulled it off. “I was kind of going, ‘How on earth are you gonna pull this off?’… But sure enough, he figured out this very complex, elaborate way to save Liam. And less than a week later, I got the script.”
In the rewritten plot, Grace’s plan was exposed, and Liam came back to life. Even though Clifton originally prepared for Liam’s emotional farewell, he’s happy things turned out differently. “I would trade 100 good-bye deathbed speeches for an ongoing career,” he concluded.
