WCTH Writer Opens Up About Elizabeth-Lucas Breakup: ‘It Was Really Hard to Do’

Hallmark/Heavy "When Calls the Heart"

Screenwriter Derek Thompson recently shared some behind-the-scenes moments that have gone into writing “When Calls the Heart.” He revealed that he had written the big breakup between Elizabeth and Lucas at the end of season 10, and shared what it was like to put together such a momentous scene.

The Scene Kept Changing Until the Last Minute, He Shared

In an interview with the Official Hearties podcast, Thompson shared what was going through his mind when he was writing Elizabeth and Lucas’ breakup.

First, he shared that he rewrote the scene a lot and it was changing all the way down to the last minute.

“I think I wrote that scene 30 times,” Thompson said. “It was just one of those scenes that everyone was gonna have interest and input, and it was going to change right down to the day they shot, because it was so important. And so hard to do.”

He added that although it was very difficult to write, he wanted to make sure he honored both characters.

“It was a difficult situation,” Thompson said. “And good reasoning for everything. But it was really hard to do. And so just like a real breakup, no great way to do it. And you just want to honor both characters and what they’ve been through and how important they were to each other. And try to have them leave it in a place where they still care for each other and we admire their honesty. And so it was a tricky one.”

Numerous People Were Involved in Figuring Out How the Scene Would Work

Thompson told the Hearties podcast that a lot of people were involved in crafting the scene, since it was so important.

“A lot of hands on deck,” he said. “I mean a lot of input from everyone you could imagine in that. And I think it turned out well.”

He added that while it was a difficult scene for Lucas fans, he feels that it ended up being a good choice.

“And I know it was difficult for a lot of fans of Lucas, but you know it was one of those decisions that just was complicated but had to be made,” he shared. “And I think it turns out for the better. I think through this season we’ll see that that was a good choice for both of them. But yeah, hard to write a breakup any time… It was a tricky one, but we made it through and good things ahead.”

He also assured fans that Lucas will continue to have a lot of great scenes this season.

“It’s really good stuff for Lucas, for the Lucas fans out there — which there are many — there’s lots of really great stuff for him…” he said. “We learn a lot about him this season… And he grows a lot. There’s no shortage of stuff for Lucas, Elizabeth and Nathan.”

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