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The Bold and the Beautiful's Scott Clifton never delivers a performance that doesn't take you right into the moment, but what he is doing as Liam faces his own mortality is on a whole other level. Not only are we there in the moment, but we feel Liam's pain. This week, we wanted to sob right along with him and Hope, making Clifton Soap Central's pick for performer of the week.
Liam's anguish becomes our anguish
The week started with Liam coming face-to-face with his father for the first time since a nasty fight that led to Liam's collapse and subsequent brain tumor diagnosis.
While we expected Liam to tell Bill (Don Diamont) about his illness, we were instead treated to a father-and-son moment that showed a father's love for his son without him knowing he was dying. Liam knew this was the last time he might ever see his dad, but Bill was just happy to make up, thinking they had all the time in the world to get their relationship right.
The rest of the week was spent in Brooke's (Katherine Kelly Lang) living room with Hope, where a mop was needed to wipe up all the tears shed on Brooke's floor and ours.
Heartache and hope on The Bold and the Beautiful
One aspect of Liam's death and dying story that is different from others we've seen on soaps is Liam's determination to see the joy in life. This past week, Clifton infused Liam's every look given and syllable spoken with such optimism, despite the tears. The sadness in Liam's eyes was mixed with hope — and not just because he was looking at Hope.
Clifton is also showing us a clarity in his performance as Liam realizes the many, many mistakes he's made over the years — mistakes that left him alone for nearly two years and mistakes that have left Hope and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) as near-mortal enemies when they should be sisters and friends.
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Clifton has been critical of Liam through the years, so it almost seems like relief to play Liam's sudden wave of self-awareness as he looks at life through a new lens, the lens of a man who is dying, but not before doing the most he can with his life before the end nears.
Catch all-new episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.
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