Your Questions Answered: Part One - Blog - Heartland (2024)

As most of you know, we are riding out the current broadcast hiatus until Sunday, March 11, when the next new Season 11 episode will premiere on CBC. Last week on the blog I prompted fans to ask me anything and I would try my best to reply. Heartland fans really know how to ask questions.

So here we are with another round of "Ask Blog Whisperer Anything" (ABWA). Thank goodness I stipulated that each person ask one question only. Even with that in place, there were so many questions that I have decided to break them up into two halves. The first group I will answer today and the rest next Thursday.

On to the first batch of questions…

Brooks Raddatz asks, "How did you film the Heartland Christmas movie?"

A:A Heartland Christmas was filmed in February and March, the only time Heartland was in production during those months. Normally Heartland films new episodes from mid-May until the end of November or the beginning to middle of December. Because the same crew and (obviously) the same cast was used, it was just like filming a block of two episodes of the series. What was needed was snow and, wouldn’t you know it, there was not much on the ground, so tons of the white stuff had to be trucked in to create the blocked pass that trapped the horses. Other than that it was just like filming two episodes of the series.

Alison Frazer asks, "In season 10 in the episode where Lou and Peter sign the divorce papers and they have Peters birthday Jack told the story of the stones and they pick Peters stone they mentioned the anniversary where they let the wish balloons go they said it was their 1st anniversary but correct me if I am wrong I honestly thought it was their 2nd as Katie was there it was the episode where Amy auditioned for Dark Horse and Ty asked Jack for permission to marry Amy."

A: Although I do know many things about Heartland I am afraid you have me stumped on this one (Way to Go Alison!!!). Unfortunately I am not in a position to watch these episodes, I do not have the scripts and, because the series is not in production, I cannot reach out to the writers for clarification. So I will find out and get back to you but, in the meantime, if any fans out there know the answer to Alison’s question feel free to reply in the comments section below.

Julie Van Dieren asks,"I would like to know if the writers are influenced by the fans comments/messages (e.g. if they sometimes change their script during the season based on the fan's feedback of the first episodes). It would be nice to have a Thursday blog where fans write what they would love to see in season 12. And who knows, some ideas could be used in the next season (fingers crossed there will be one)..."

A: This is a great question and it is going to require a long answer. Sometimes on a Sunday after a new episode, fans will comment on a specific plot element – most of the times they love it but sometimes they don’t. There are some fans who might think that based on their comments a script is rewritten or tweaked on Monday, filmed on Tuesday and Wednesday, edited on Thursday, has colour correction and music added on Friday in time to be delivered to the CBC on Saturday for the next day’s broadcast. Seriously – some people believe production rolls this way.

It does not. Before the first day of filming in the spring, the character arcs and storylines are determined for the entire season. The writers cannot just do what they want. There are many levels of approval the stories must go through before the green light is given for the season’s production to proceed. So, when the first new episode comes out, one half of the season has already been filmed. When the ninth episode is broadcast, usually on the first Sunday of December, the entire season has been filmed.

To answer your question, both CBC and production do take note of comments on social media. If there is an overwhelming opinion on an issue, this is taken into consideration before the writers come up with their story lines. There are many other factors as well, such as the availability of cast members, the budget, etc. But, collectively, fan comments form a voice that -is- heard by production.

Amber O'Reilly asks, "My ABWA Question: Has Julia Maren Baker (Katie Fleming Morris) left the series? We haven't seen her much in Season 11. I'd love to watch all of this season's episodes again to confirm but don't have time right now. Will there be any further storylines involving Lou and Peter's long-distance co-parenting? Thanks!"

A: For personal reasons – nothing health-related – Julia Baker has not been able to appear in a lot of episodes this year. You will see her before the season ends in April. As for Lou and Peter, I haven't seen the last four episodes but the long distance co-parenting is an issue that can always come up in future episodes.

Rachel Setola asks, "Can you tell us anything about the auction and where the horse trailer's new home will be?"

A: I am still awaiting that information from the auction house. When I receive it I will let everyone know in a subsequent blog post.

Terry Follensbee asks, "My question is... I heard the young man who played Shane doesn't want to return; do you know if that’s true? Hope not."

A: I have no knowledge whatsoever about that so I am unable to answer with any authority. What I can tell you is that the policy here is not to speculate on conjecture or gossip, and no personal information about a cast member is given out unless the cast member has agreed to it.

Chris Beasley asks, "My question for you is whether or not the medicine wheel location in S2 Ep17 was made for the show, or is this an actual place? That episode with Victor Whitetail is still one of the best episodes! I love the song in that episode as well. Would sure like to see Victor return again."

A: The “Spirit of Life” medicine wheel was created for the episode, but it is modeled after other actual medicine wheels. Production picked a beautiful location for the scene, no?

Emily Vergnes asks, In all the 11 years, which scene was the most difficult to shoot? And why?

A: That is a good question but a difficult one to answer. There is not one scene that everyone on the crew agreed was the scene they would quit the industry before shooting again, but let me give you some specifics of what could be defined as difficult. Firstly, any action involving animals. The horses (and cows and llamas, etc.) are all considered ‘bomb-proof,’ meaning a loud noise could occur on set and they would not be spooked, but still they are animals and may not repeat their movements from previous takes. For this reason, multiple cameras are often used to ensure that when takes are edited together the scenes look fluid and believable.

Other factors beyond the crew’s control are dramatic changes in the weather. A nearby fork lightning storm has caused production to pull the plug and outdoor scenes shot over two or more days might have dry ground on day 1 and snow on day 2. When that happens the locations crew may have to remove snow to make the edited scene look believable. Once, at the rodeo grounds, the local river breached its banks and within fifteen minutes the entire grounds were under a foot of water. Needless to say, production was halted for the day and everyone escaped without harm or damage.

A problem that crops up a lot is when there are a lot of clouds in the sky. Filming may be in bright sunlight for part of one scene, but then by the time they are ready to shoot the same part of the script from a different angle a cloud has blocked the sun. When this happens often it is a waiting game or else lighting has to be brought in to replicate the sunlight.

Lisette Uribe asks, "What is the possibility of season 12?"

A: This is not official, and at this time I honestly do not know, but if you have been following my answers to questions over the years you will know that I am a glass-half-full sort of Blog Whisperer. So although I am not prepared to put my house up on this prediction, I can tell you that I would be extremely surprised if Heartland did not return for a twelfth season. That’s the best I can come up with.

Nancy Tobolski asks, "Why did we all of a sudden stop getting channel 26.3 which broadcasted Heartland? We loved the Light TV station and now it has apparently been pulled with no signal. We always tuned into the double programs at 8 and 9 pm. Please, there isn't much on TV worth watching, with this exception."

A: CBC is the primary broadcaster of Heartland, airing it before any other countries can see it on their television networks or stations. But CBC only has the rights to Heartland in Canada and has no say over which networks or stations broadcast the series in other countries. In the United States Light TV shows Heartland and it is one of its most popular series. If a station has dropped from your channel listing you need to contact your provider to find out what has happened. Good luck, and thank you for the nice compliment.

Nicola Silver asks, "Do Tim or Caleb have any relatives? Neither one of them has ever been mentioned as having living parents or siblings or even cousins in 11 years of both of them being on the show, even at major life events. Amy and Lou have an unnamed set of grandparents, living or otherwise..."

A: Even after eleven seasons (10 in the case of Caleb) there are going to be some things you are not going to know about certain characters which may or may not be introduced in future episodes. That’s part of the fun in becoming engaged with a long-running television series. If only we had seen Caleb and Cassandra’s wedding we might have had an answer. But then again, we would have missed Lyndy being born.

William Thomas Duncan asks, "Is Amber Marshall pregnant...if it is too personal to answer, it is OK. Just asking!"

A: It is a personal question, but I’ve been asked this before, especially last season when she wore many pregnancy padded undergarments. The answer is the same now as when I was asked back then – “No.”

Ahna D Whiteman asks,"Will Shane make an appearance this season because of Tim possibly having cancer?"

A: I’ve not seen the final four episodes, but I don’t believe the character appears this season.

Rebecca Banman notes, "We have noticed more names in the opening credits and have appreciated reading them! We even had to look up the meaning of the best boy grip and the dolly grip :)"

A: That’s a good observation. In each episode’s opening title credits crew members who have been with the series since season 1 have been added. Normally these crewmembersare in the tail-end credits but those who have been around since the first season was greenlit were given a front title credit.

Elizabeth Ransdell asks,"I've been thinking about this question for quite some time. When the idea of having Amy and Ty start a family came on the table during the planning of season 9, were Amber and Graham consulted on whether they think this is the right direction for their characters (I 100% believe that it was the right choice, I LOVE the storylines baby Lyndy has brought to the series). I've always wondered exactly how much involvement an actor has on the journey of their characters, especially on a series that's been running strong for 10+ years."

A: Some movies and series vary in regard to what you are asking. I know of some series that the actors have zero say on what direction their character is taking. Heartland is not one of those. The cast are informed of the direction their characters will be taking, they are free to provide input, and their opinions are always considered. The same applies to their lines in the script and in some cases their wardrobe. So far it has worked pretty well, no?

Sandy Robson Grant asks, "How did Jack's wife Lyndy die?"

A: Jack’s wife Lyndy passed away from cancer.

Terra Bryant Price asks,"Just one question that has been nagging at me for a while and I couldn't find the answer online anywhere. On the show they only have talked about Jack's grandparents and nothing is ever said about his parents. Who were Jack's parents?"

A: I’m going to let fan Andreas Constantinou answer this – “Yes, Jack did talk about his father when he joined Ty at the lake. When Ty spread his father’s ashes Jack spoke a lot about his father with Ty.”

Nancy Moore Wilson asks, "When they picked the twins to be Ty and Amy's baby, did they look for one that would resemble Ty and Amy? I think this sweetie and her sister DO look like they could be Ty and Amy's baby! I definitely see Ty, and they have Amy's eyes!"

A: A production company always hopes that when they cast babies who are to be children of the established cast they will look like the actors who are playing the parents. The reality is a production is at the mercy of whatever twins were recently born in the city where the series is shot. Let’s all agree that Heartland has been very lucky to find the Spencer twins, and also fortunate that they really enjoy their time on set during filming (Take a look at the gallery photo above).

Neil Flancbaum asks, "This may seem like a really strange question but I can’t imagine a character like Amy Fleming not breastfeeding her child."

A: Actually she would have, but it was never seen on screen. Please see fan Deb Mariner Orpen’s answer – “I'm pretty sure Amy DID breastfeed, at least for a while. I remember an episode soon after Lyndy was born, where Ty had asked Amy if she had any milk pumped, and Amy said that she had.”

Emma Gerrish asks, "My question is about Cassandra and Caleb’s dog Jasper. Does the dog who plays Jasper belong to a cast member, and if so who? Thanks!"

A: No, the dog was found by one of the animal wranglers. He’s a perfect pooch, isn’t he? This is just a personal opinion, but I wish the horse known as Ghost would bond with everyone, but especially with the dog. They would become inseparable, staying in the same stall, and would come to be known as Jasper, the friendly Ghost. (I DO crack myself up!)

Dale Amy Norton asks, "What happened to the geese in the first season and Lobo in the mid season?"

A: No series can tie up every storyline perfectly. Some things are left up to the viewer. Heartland never really raised geese, so after the inoculation scene (which was rather funny) we have to assume they were sold. And, some sad news that I am repeating here: the dog playing Lobo was quite old and he passed away. It was decided to not make it part of a storyline.

Andrea Boehm asks,"I would love to meet Graham. Does he ever come to Ontario Canada?"

A: Again, an accurate answer from fan Rebecca Banman, “He is scheduled to be in Markham (just outside of Toronto) on April 8 with Amber, Shaun and Alisha -http://canamequine.com/special-events/horsing-heartlands-cast/

Michael Grant observes,"It seems to me that in outdoor winter scenes that the actors are underdressed for the elements. Are they?"

A: Not in all cases, but it’s not visually entertaining to see everyone outside always wearing large winter overcoats. Those coats are there, just off-screen, waiting for the actors to don them as soon as the director says, “Cut!”

Nishant Varma asks, "My Question for BW is... Can we as fans do anything in our power to make sure there is season 12?"

A: Just keep watching Heartland in strong numbers and keep your fingers crossed.

Sg Beleutz asks,"Any chance Lou and Scott plus Adam and Georgie will get back together?"

A: The endgames (as far as romance goes) are far from being written. We will all have to keep watching to see where everyone’s path leads – and winds up.

Andreas Constantinou asks, "My question: Why aren't some of the main cast (Graham & Shaun in particular) more active on social media?"

A: I would dispute that they are not on social media but that’s neither here or there. Being on social media is not part of their job description as far as Heartland is concerned. Some actors like to keep their social media platforms for their own personal use and that is entirely their choice. While both Heartland and the CBC welcome the cast promoting the series neither are going to invade their private time or make demands on them as to how they manage their social media sites.

But to repeat, both gentlemen are fairly active on SM. Check them out.

Well, as I wrote at the top of this blog post, there are a lot more questions to answer and I will be tackling them next Thursday. It gives me something to do as I wait (patiently) with you until episode 1115 premieres on Sunday, March 11.

Until then you’ll get two more Thursday posts – more ABWA answers next Thursday and then a preview of 1115 on Thursday, March 8. And all the while I shall remain, as always, obediently yours.