Why Amber Marshall Says Playing Pregnant on Heartland was "Not Fun"

For over a decade, Heartland fans have watched Amy Fleming navigate everything from wild mustangs to family heartbreak. But for many viewers, the pinnacle of her journey was the iconic pregnancy arc. On screen, it looked like a beautiful new chapter for Amy and Ty; but behind the scenes, star Amber Marshall was living a much sweatier reality.

If you ask Amber if she enjoyed the change of pace during those filming months, she has a very blunt answer: “Fun would not be a word I would use.”

The 10-Pound "Rubber Torso"

While modern TV magic can do a lot with CGI, Heartland has always prided itself on being grounded and real. To achieve that look, Amber didn't just wear a light pillow under her shirt. She was strapped into a medical-grade, 10-pound silicone prosthetic.

Speaking on the Hallmarkies Podcast, Amber revealed that the suit was essentially a thick, non-breathable rubber torso. "It trapped the heat against my skin," she recalled. Imagine the hottest day of a Calgary summer—now imagine wrapping yourself in heavy industrial silicone and standing in a dusty field for 12 hours.

When fans saw Amy Fleming looking weary or shifting her weight to find comfort on the ranch, they weren't just seeing great acting—they were seeing a woman who was physically exhausted by her wardrobe.

Doing the Homework

Because Amber hadn't been pregnant in real life at the time, she felt a massive responsibility to get the "vibe" right. She didn't want to play a "TV version" of a pregnant woman; she wanted to honor the real struggle.

To do this, she turned the Heartland set into a research lab. She spent her breaks interviewing the mothers on crew and her co-star Michelle Morgan (who plays Lou). She grilled them on the tiny, unglamorous details:

• How do you actually move when your center of gravity shifts?
• What does a Braxton-Hicks contraction actually look like on someone’s face?
• What is the true rhythm of morning sickness?

Why the Struggle Mattered

This "not fun" experience is exactly why the Amy and Ty pregnancy remains one of the most beloved eras of the show. Because Amber was physically burdened by the weight and the heat, her performance gained a layer of grit that you can't fake.

She chose to lean into the exhaustion rather than the "glow." By suffering through the "silicone oven," she made sure that when we watched Amy Fleming prepare for motherhood, we didn't just see a character—we saw a woman we truly believed in.