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Back in the early 2000’s ‘One Tree Hill’ was one of the most popular teen dramas on television. Sophia Bush, who played Brooke Davis in the series, recently reflected on her time on the show, revealing that things on set weren’t as great as the viewer may have imagined. Speaking to the hosts of the show ‘Chicks in the Office’, Bush revealed that playing a high schooler in her early 20’s brought on its own set of challenges.
Not actually being a teenager herself when she was filming the show, the 38-year-old actress explained that how the cast was treated on set was questionable in hindsight. “Looking back on it, we can see the ways in which we were fetishized and we had this lens of adultification put over us with this idea that we were supposed to know everything and have answers, and be, ultimately, professional,” she said. “When we didn't even know what the technical terms were. It was like, 'Get on your mark!' And you're like, 'What are you talking about? What is a mark?'”
Bush went on to explain that while they were still young, she and her fellow castmates were expected to act with the utmost professionalism and were allegedly being controlled and manipulated by certain people. “We had grown-ups who we trusted, who now we understand were being really controlling and manipulative—who didn't want us to be close 'cause they thought we would band together and ask for more money,” she revealed.
While social media is often looked down on, Bush noted that not having social media during the time of filming made it harder to realize that they were being treated unfairly. “There was no social media where people were talking about this stuff and giving people advice, and figuring out if you were being paid equitably,” she said. “We didn't have any of that. We were just in the dark.”
Since her time on ‘One Tree Hill,’ Bush now explained that she tries to be exceptionally professional while creating a comfortable work environment for others. “I want sets that I work on to be places that people can ask any question and get it answered, where we can hold ourselves to a degree of excellence as a challenge, not as a threat, and where it can just be fun,” she said. Bush is set to star in the upcoming CBS show ‘Good Sam,’ and is happy with her career, but shared that in general her time on ‘One Tree Hill’ brought “so much joy and so much confusion.”
