Here are 10 must-know behind-the-scenes facts about One Tree Hill, the drama series that lasted for nearly a decade.
One Tree Hill is undoubtedly one of the most popular and iconic teen drama series of the 2000s and remains a popular streaming choice and culturally relevant television show to this day. Though the series’ decade-long run was tarnished after news broke about show-runner Mark Schwahn’s unacceptable behind-the-scenes behavior towards the female crew and cast members, it remains an important teen series from the dawn of television’s golden age.
Looking back since the series wrapped nearly a decade ago, here are 10 behind-the-scenes facts about One Tree Hill audiences might not know.
10. Moira Kelly Was Pregnant During Season One
Surprisingly enough, Lucas’ lovable single mother Karen was played by a pregnant Moira Kelly both in the Pilot episode and throughout season one. Schwahn didn’t want to write the actress’s pregnancy into the series, as he couldn’t think of a believable pregnancy storyline for Karen, so the series went to great lengths to hide the pregnancy during filming.
Kelly’s baby bump was cut out through convenient camera angles and close-ups, and once Kelly’s pregnancy became unavoidable, the writers sent Karen off to chefs school in Italy while the actress had her child. Ultimately, many fans were none-the-wiser.
9. Chad Michael Murray Almost Played Nathan
After being offered the part of Ryan on The O.C., Chad Michael Murray was also pegged for the role of One Tree Hill‘s Nathan. James Lafferty, on the other hand, wanted to be Lucas, but by that time Murray had already expressed a larger interest in playing Lucas, and Schwahn decided both would work best as the opposite Scott brother.
Schwahn saw Murray as having a ‘bad boy’ persona, as he’d previously been typecast in these sorts of roles. However, Murray was adamant about playing Lucas, as he related to the character’s familial experiences and felt he could dig into the material more.
8. The Tree Hill Basketball Court Was Michael Jordan’s
The famed basketball court where Lucas and Nathan Scott practiced and played during One Tree Hill’s high school years was surprisingly the same basketball court that Michael Jordan played on while he was in high school.
Knowing that such greatness touched the same courts that the Tree Hill boys played on is an interesting nugget of information most fans would otherwise be unfamiliar with, as the connection was never touched on during the series.
7. Austin Nichols Was Sophia Bush’s Boyfriend When He Joined The Show
Julian (Austin Nichols) was written into the show in large part because he and Sophia Bush were dating in real life, and thus he felt like a natural addition as Brooke’s new love interest. Prior to Nichols, Bush had experience dating another actor on the hit show, having been briefly married to Chad Michael Murray before a cheating scandal led to their untimely divorce.
It might have been risky for producers to include Nichols on the show, but fans appreciated it because the duo had palpable, fiery chemistry, and Julian turned out to be the man Brooke had always deserved.
6. The Series Was Almost Set In Illinois
A little known fact is that the series was originally supposed to be set in Illinois before Warner Brothers asked for it to be moved to a warmer climate. The series thus landed in North Carolina, and Tree Hill was born.
Filmed in Wilmington, diehard fans can still visit many of the series’ most iconic filming locations, like Karen’s Cafe from the Pilot and the spot of the now-dismantled River Court.
5. Sophia Bush Read For Brooke Multiple Times
Though its hard to imagine another actress playing Brooke Davis, Sophia Bush wasn’t given the role right away. The actress almost didn’t get the part and auditioned three times before producers decided she was the right woman. Casting had some concerns about whether Bush’s persona fit the role, which seems ridiculous in hindsight.
The team behind the scenes is undoubtedly glad they chose to go with Bush. As she carried a large part of the series and appeared in more episodes than any other actor on the cast. Bush appeared in every episode except the very first. The role of Brooke wasn’t yet cast at that point, and Bush only booked the role after the series was green-lit.
4. Haley’s Singing Storyline Wasn’t Planned
Haley’s singing storyline only came to fruition because Schwahn heard actress Bethany Joy Lenz singing on set. And realized that he could weave an interesting storyline into the show around it.
This moment ended up being critical to Haley’s character arc. As she evolved from being Lucas’ girl-next-door best friend and sidekick falling for Nathan to a fully-fledged character with major aspirations.
3. The Original Pitch Was For A Feature
Before One Tree Hill became the soapy teen drama audiences knew and loved, the series was originally pitched by Mark Schwahn as a feature-length film entitled Ravens. Believing the series had enough engaging storylines to work as a television series, producers Brian Robbins, Mike Tollin, and Joe Davola convinced Schwahn to rework the pitch for primetime television.
Fans and the network are glad Schwahn did, as the series went on to run for over a decade.
2. Many Cast Members Directed
Throughout the series’ decade-long run, multiple cast members also tried their hand at the director’s chair. Sophia Bush, James Lafferty, and Chad Michael Murray all took turns giving orders behind the camera. Citing their enjoyment for switching things up and trying new skills.
1. Peyton & Lucas’ Untimely Exits Weren’t Financially Motivated
Fans of the series were shocked and disheartened when they learned that lead actors Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray were stepping away from the show at the end of season 6. Audiences couldn’t understand why the series’ main duo would walk away from the iconic series when they were considered the lifeblood of it. At the time, the media believed Burton and Murray left due to messy contract negotiations and business decisions.
It was only several years later that Burton revealed via Twitter that she’d stepped away from the series in large part because of the emotional abuse she and other female crewmembers endured from Mark Schwahn.
Keep following us to stay updated on the world of movies and TV series!
Chiara
Source: Screen Rant
Please step by our Facebook page SurvivedtheShows, Instagram page @survivedtheshows and Twitter page @SurvivedShows to keep yourself updated!
