Zap2it: ‘One Tree Hill’s’ Mark Schwahn, Sophia Bush & Shantel VanSanten talk season 7

Quality time with Mark Schwahn and the “One Tree Hill” crew. That’s what I got when I spotted Sophia Bush and the series’ creator hanging with new cast members, Robert Buckley, Shantel VanSanten and Austin Nichols at a CW party a couple weeks back.

While the boys pitched a bromance for their characters, I talked with Mark and the girls about season 7, including what it’s like on set without Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray.


VAnd how about Shantel VanSanten as Haley's sister?

M.S.: Yeah. Where is Shantel? Shantel, talk to Korbi about your character.


Do you and Haley like each other or are you sisters who cat fight and steal each other's clothes?


Shantel VanSanten: Well, we steal each other's clothes in real life. Joy [Galeotti (Haley)] came into the make up trailer one day and was like, I like your shirt (my real life shirt). So she says, Can I wear it on the episode? I'm like, Sure. So I took it off and let her have it.
M.S.: What she's not telling you is, then that shirt goes into the wardrobe trailer never to return! She went home in her bra. And Joy's like, Thanks!


Awesome.

S.V.: But yes, I play [Haley]'s older sister. I'm a photographer. And I think we both have that artistic side. Her being a singer, we have that same mentality in common and I think we've always been close for that reason. But I got married when I was younger, so I have a whole other relationship and whole other life. I come back to Tree Hill just like a lot of people go home to kind of figure life out. And I think that [Haley] becomes my best friend, the person that I would call about everything.

Nice.

S.V.: Yeah, I think that it's fun to bring [Haley]'s sister in, because you end up seeing a different side of Haley. You know what I mean? You'll see different things you maybe wouldn't have seen before because her sister's around and there's that sister bond and you tell each other secrets and expose things you wouldn't have otherwise.
Me and my own sister are so close and Joy talked to me about it, she wanted to know what my relationship with her was like and we discussed little ticks that sisters have and it's really been awesome. She's awesome to work with.


So, does your character come to town solo, even though you're spoken for?


S.V.: I come for Jamie's birthday. But I think when you're in your 20s, you go through stuff. Is my life going in the right direction? Am I doing the right thing? Is this what I want for the rest of my life, with everything, [you question] your job, your love life. So I think maybe she comes to town trying to figure some things out and through her relationship with her sister and everybody else in Tree Hill, hopefully she'll find the answers.


And speaking of, I have to ask you about Nathan and Haley. I feel like this year may be one of turmoil for those two.


M.S.: [Laughs] You know, when we started the show, we were coming on the heels of "Dawson's Creek." They were shooting their finale when we were shooting our pilot, so when people saw our first episode, they were sure that Haley and Lucas would be together, because Dawson and Joey had [a similar dynamic]. But we had always designed it as Nathan and Haley. In my mind, Nathan and Haley have always been a cornerstone of the show. The fan base is so faithful and so important to ["One Tree Hill"]. But at the same time, they're either unhappy that there's disorder in Nathan and Haley's relationship or they're unhappy that it's calm. There's never a time when they're all happy with what's happening with those two. Either Haley doesn't have a big enough storyline or there's too much drama or, when there's a cease fire, it's like they have nothing to do. But it's okay because, in my mind, over the length of the show, it's been the best relationship. Nathan and Haley are so human to me. And it's inspiring because they go through a lot of stuff. And they don't always have the answers. Sometimes they get really beaten up. But at the end of the day, they find their way. They find a nobility and a grace that we all should hope for in our relationships. That's what I like about them and I think we'll see more of that this year.


They will face new challenges though. Because Nathan has now achieved his dream.


M.S.: Yes, that's what it is. I mean, I don't sit down and say, it's time to punk them again, it's time to mess them up just because. I think "challenges" is the right word because relationships are a challenge. Nobody's on autopilot, we're not robots. And, yes, with Nathan's success, what is his life like now? And what are the entanglements that celebrity brings to his world? What does it mean to his son now that he's in the public eye? What did he used to do and who did he used to be to them? There's now a spotlight on Nathan, so he can't necessarily be that same [person].
We have a lot of celebrities on our show now. Brooke is a celebrity of sorts. Nathan is a celebrity of sorts. Haley, too, as a recording artist. Julian's a producer. We have a lot of characters in the spotlight and what's interesting to me is, are the rules the same for those people?


And what about the rules for Mr. Dan Scott. I know he'll be back. How's he doing?


M.S.: We are [picking things up] fourteen months later and we find that Dan has never been better. And part of his journey is, how can that be? And it's very compelling. He seems to be in the best place of his life, he's inspirational, he's trying to help people. And we're trying to figure out if it's for real or if it's a lie. How has this happened?


Austin is pretty. Please tell me Brooke is going to be happy this season.

Sophia Bush: Brooke has been unhappy for so long, she deserves a little joy in her life.


Austinnichols And Julian (Nichols) is going to make that happen?

S.B.: Well, there are issues for everybody. One of the things that we have to deal with in our relationship is the distance and, you know, you’re in your late 20s and, is this it or is it not? They’re very real questions that everybody asks themselves at that age point, but it’s really fun and there is a lot of love in between [Brooke and Julian]. It’s very cool.



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