'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.

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.

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 between [Brooke and Julian]. It's very cool.

Will Sam (Ashley Rickards) be back as Brooke's foster kid?
S.B.: I don't believe so.

So, is Brooke still longing for a child?
S.B.: That doesn't go away. That doesn't go away at all. Brooke is very maternal with everyone in her life and she wants that, she wants a family.

You guys have been working on this next season for a while now. Is it weird not having Hilarie and Chad around after six years with them?
S.B.: You know, it's different, but it doesn't feel strange. Actually, it feels pretty amazing to go to work every day and we're so lucky to have these new cast members and everybody else is still around. You know, it's Rob and Shantel and Austin and we still have Lisa [Goldstein (Millicent)] and Antwon [Tanner (Skills)] and Allison [Munn (Lauren)] and Lee Norris (Mouth) and Jackson [Brundage (Jamie)] is obviously still there, Jana Kramer is working with us for a while and she's amazing, so many wonderful people. So it doesn't feel empty whatsoever. It's a full house and everybody's laughing on set all day and the energy is really incredible.

And Daphne Zuniga's back as your mother, Victoria. Will she be around regularly?
S.B.: I don't know what her schedule is, I know she's also working on "Melrose Place," so we sort of have to work around both shows, but she's a big fixture in Brooke's life.

I'm assuming we'll see more of a sympathetic side to Victoria this year?
S.B.: We'll see! I mean, she's always going to be Victoria. But the closeness has been established between us and that's a really fun thing to play. We're buddies but she's still kind of a bitch!
Mark Schwahn: I also think she can be a bitch more now, because we've seen her be kind. You know, we've seen that she has a heart. We know that she's protective of Brooke. So now when she's bitchy, it's like, yeah but she can also be sweet.

It's nice that Brooke has family. How much will Julian figure into that? Will he be in every ep?
M.S.: Yeah. I think last season we got into a bad habit of giving every couple a beginning, middle and an end. But this year is more like season one where there may be a character in an episode for just one scene, but they're servicing something that's going to advance over the serialized nature of the show. So, yeah, so far, Austin's been in every episode and I can't imagine that won't continue.

And 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.

Who else in Tree Hill will she be close with?
S.V.: I get to collaborate with Sophia's character Brooke, because she has a clothing line. There are a lot of relationships that she gets to come back to and be a part of that world.

Might she have a love interest even though she's married?
M.S.: I've never endorsed that. But, having said that, if issues arise in her marriage, then that is interesting to me. If someone is genuinely not happy in their marriage, when is it okay to start looking elsewhere? I don't know if that's necessarily the road we'll go down with Shantel's character, Quinn, but as a storyline and as drama for the show, I think that's interesting.

Do you feel like Chad and Hilarie leaving may sort of be a blessing in disguise as far as storylines go, since you now have all these new people to write for?
M.S.: I think we had a wonderful six years together, but I think that when you're heading into episode 130, anytime you can find new adrenaline and new energy, it is a good thing for the show. I have to tell you that the writers room is invigorated and excited to tell stories about new characters. And when they see the talent that we've put in these new roles, everybody is inspired.

This show has reinvented itself several times. And we've always been a show that's seemingly been on life support. But our fans have been brave enough to be objective about the reinvention. And I hope that they will be again. I've been up front about saying that I don't know if they will be. I don't know if, for our fan base, it will always be about that core group of characters. Maybe it will be. But I feel like once you watch the first couple episodes, if the active stories that are moving forward are compelling, then you're not asking questions about who's not there. You're asking questions about what's happening to who is there. 

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?

I'm hearing Dan may have a storyline with Rachel (Danneel Harris)?
M.S.: Yeah, everybody's talking about it. Danneel (Rachel) is definitely coming back. I always felt like she would come back. You know, the way she left town, she was having trouble with drugs, she was a little bit of a thief, she was falling short of the person she should be, so I always planned on having her return. I just didn't know when and how. But I think we came up with something that is surprising and yet relevant to our world.

Have you been keeping up with the spoilers online?
M.S.: I haven't. But somebody told me they heard she was pregnant. That's not true.

That's not true?
M.S.: No.

You're going on record, debunking the rumor?
M.S.: Should I?

Yes!
S.B.: You should just say, does she look pregnant?
M.S.: I will say that it is untrue.

So, she's not having Dan's baby?
M.S.: [Laughs] No!! No.

That's one of the rumors online.
S.B.: Is it really?!
M.S.: You know, I wish I would've thought of that!

Want more time with Mr. Schwahn and your fellow "One Tree Hill" fans? Hit the show's official Facebook page, which recently passed the one million member mark.

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