Sophia Bush calls "One Tree Hill" podcast a reclamation from the show's toxic environment
"One Tree Hill" podcast "Drama Queens" is a reclamation from the show's toxic work environment and memories, actress Sophia Bush told CBS News. The actress joined hosts Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir Duthiers on Tuesday to discuss her new medical drama "Good Sam" and why she and her co-hosts are so proud of their podcast's success.
Bush spent nine seasons on the teen drama "One Tree Hill" as character Brooke Davis, a popular teenage socialite obsessed with cheerleading, boys and being the best. The show was a hit and jumpstarted the careers of most of its cast, Bush included. But Bush and other co-stars later revealed that they were subjected to a toxic and harmful work environment.
"In many industries, you've heard so many people talk about toxic work culture — and it's a strange thing when you've had the good and the bad wrapped up in the thing that launched your career," Bush said. "It's allowed us to completely love our show and not to be cheesy, but it feels like it might be a model for healing for other people as well. Reclamation feels pretty bada**."
In recent years, Bush and other cast members have been extremely vocal about the treatment they endured on the show. In 2017, 18 former actors and crew members accused "One Tree Hill" creator Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment and misconduct in an open letter. Three of the signatures were from the show's main female actors — Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Now, the three co-host "Drama Queens," a podcast centered around their time on "One Tree Hill" and the joy it brought to its fans.
"It's an interesting thing when you make something like we did with our first show that really seems to be evergreen. It lasts. The fans keep coming, people love it, they relate to it. You have these great memories, but you also have some things you went through that were less than ideal," Bush said. "For us, as grown women, as producers, as directors, creatives, we just said there's clearly something special here. What if went and found it. What if we mined for the gold and throw out the rest of it."
Bush also stars in CBS' new medical drama "Good Sam," centered around a young cardio thoracic chief of surgery and the tense relationship between herself and her world-renowned surgeon of a boss, who just happens to be her father.
The actress said Tuesday that the show has its own "very unique perspective" that helped her relate to the character she plays and she hopes later episodes could star close friends she has worked with before.
