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Sophia Bush Addresses 'One Tree Hill' Reboot Rumors!
All Sophia Bush has to do is think of her friendship with Hilarie Burton and she has peace of mind.
The two One Tree Hill alums—who played BFFs Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis on the iconic teen drama—have been candid over the years about how their friendship translated off-screen as well.
And as Sophia recently explained, their synergy is rooted in their upbringings.
“Hilarie grew up in a big family but doesn't have sisters and I grew up on my own,” Sophia told E! News at the July 10 Power of She event hosted by Athleta x ESPYS. “And in this very interesting way, we're two sides of the same coin and we're exactly the same person. We’re so different and we are so similar.”
As Sophia added of her friend, whose birthday is only seven days from her own, “She really is the closest thing in the world that I have to a sister. She's absolutely precious and priceless to me.”
In fact, for the 42-year-old—who co-hosted the event which highlighted nominees for the ESPYS Best College Athlete Women’s Sports—female friendship forms an irreplaceable part of her life.
photos18 Shocking Secrets About One Tree Hill Revealed
“I have the most incredible group of women on speed dial and truly,” Sophia explained. “Whether we're trying to figure out how to work on policy to make our country more equitable, or we're trying to figure out how we can make it to a conference, or who's going to watch somebody's toddler because they've got work—they’re getting it all done all the time.”
She continued, “I know that I certainly would not be here if it was not for that group of humans who is my sisterhood and my home.”
John Nacion/Getty Images
But while Hilarie and Sophia’s friendship has more than withstood the test of time, with more than twenty years behind the pair since they first met, it hasn’t been without it’s trials.
Especially when they were cast as two of the three female leads in One Tree Hill at the age of 20.
“A lot of people wanted to pit us against each other," Hilarie said during a 2020 appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast. "You know, 'It's like oh Hilarie won't do this but Sophia will.' And 'She's the pretty one.' And 'She's the this one.' There's so much comparison that, as a young person, it's hard to navigate.”
But while the Walking Dead alum admitted that she and Sophia at times had to “fight for our own friendship,” it’s all become water under the bridge.
Presley Ann/Getty Images for Athleta
As she put it, “She and I now can look back at it and be like 'All those bastards. No. We're the love story.' So yeah, the female friendships were important on that show."
And her warm feelings extend to the whole cast, which includes actors such as James Lafferty (Nathan Scott), Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James) and Chad Michael Murray (Lucas Scott).
While Hillarie admitted she and the cast “have squabbles like families do, they’re few and far between,” adding, “I’d take a bullet for those kids. I love them.”
For more on where Hilarie, Sophia and the rest of the One Tree Hill cast is today, keep reading.
– Reporting by Amanda Champagne Meadows