Sophia Bush: Brooke Davis, Breakups & Beginning Again
Sophia Bush discusses her memoir covering her journey from USC to One Tree Hill stardom, her experiences with workplace harassment and sexualization, her failed marriages, and her recent marriage to Ashlyn Harris. She reflects on learning to trust her intuition, advocating for herself, and finding authentic happiness after years of dissociation and people-pleasing.
Summary
In this extensive interview on Call Her Daddy, Sophia Bush opens up about her path to acting and the unexpected opportunity that launched her career. She was studying journalism at USC when she auditioned for One Tree Hill as a replacement character, turning down her dream of medical school at the last minute. Moving to North Carolina at age 21 to film the show, Bush describes feeling out of place among more seasoned actors and the 'summer camp' atmosphere of the young cast.
Bush details her push-back against the sexualization of her character Brooke Davis, describing a confrontation with producers over wardrobe choices that exposed her to excessive nudity. She explains how her boss used manipulation tactics to prevent the female cast from forming supportive friendships, creating divisions among them. In 2021, Bush helped organize a collective statement from 18 female cast members documenting harassment and misconduct by the show's producer, working to anonymize victims' experiences while maintaining accuracy.
She discusses her relationship with co-star Chad Michael Murray, acknowledging she ignored red flags and warnings from friends like Hillary Burton about his infidelity. Bush reflects on her tendency to dissociate and push through hardship—a survival mechanism from her work ethic but one that prevented her from recognizing relationship problems. She describes discovering Chad was unfaithful through a conversation with his groomsman on their wedding day.
Bush shares her experience in a second marriage to Grant, explaining they were better as friends than partners. She describes realizing she had closed off tender parts of herself and was settling for less than she deserved. During her divorce, she reconnected with soccer player Ashlyn Harris, whom she'd known for years through social media and friend circles. The relationship sparked unexpected romantic feelings that terrified Bush initially, as she'd never been in a same-sex relationship.
The couple faced intense media scrutiny and accusations of infidelity despite both having filed for divorce from previous partners. Bush discusses staying quiet during this period, finding stability through friendship and gradually letting the relationship deepen. She eventually proposed to Harris, and they married in an intimate backyard ceremony with close friends and family rather than a public event. Bush describes this as the final healing step in her journey, feeling fully present in her body for the first time.
About this episode
Join Alex in the studio for a conversation with Sophia Bush! Sophia opens up about her highly publicized relationships and her past struggles to trust herself within them. She looks back on One Tree Hill, the legacy of Brooke Davis and joining forces with her female castmates to speak out about the misconduct they faced behind the scenes. Plus, Sophia sets the record straight on her current relationship, clears up the timelines, and gets candid about coming out, finding love and finally feeling like herself. Enjoy!
Key Insights
- Bush was sent to read for the character of Peyton initially and rejected it, not seeing herself as 'punk rock,' before being asked to audition for the new character of Brooke Davis
- Producers attempted to sexualize Brooke's character beyond initial pitch through increasingly expositive scenes, which Bush actively resisted by threatening to wear turtlenecks to set
- The showrunner used strategic information sharing to create suspicion among female cast members about each other, intentionally preventing the formation of supportive friendships that might expose his behavior
- Bush organized a collectively-signed statement from 18 female cast members documenting harassment while anonymizing individual experiences, allowing traumatized women to participate without re-traumatizing themselves
- Bush ignored Hillary Burton's explicit warning not to date Chad Michael Murray because she lacked life experience and later learned the showrunner had been spreading misinformation about her to other cast members
- Bush unconsciously attributed relationship unhappiness to external circumstances like her mother's illness rather than recognizing infidelity and incompatibility as the actual sources of distress
- Bush developed the ability to dissociate and perform wellness effectively enough to sustain 17-hour work days and professional obligations while internally falling apart in her personal life
- Bush's career success came from pushing through difficulty without addressing underlying problems, a trait that became catastrophic in her personal relationships where the same strategy created misery
- Bush initially felt jealous and confused when mutual friends tried to set Ashlyn Harris up with someone else, triggering her to recognize romantic feelings she'd never experienced before
- The couple chose to keep their marriage quiet and intimate after experiencing the media circus and tabloid speculation surrounding their relationship's beginning
- Bush believes the reason she attempted marriage twice unsuccessfully was because she genuinely values the institution rather than from lack of discernment
- Bush describes her backyard wedding to Ashlyn Harris as the final act of self-healing, representing the moment she could complete her emotional recovery without doing it alone
Topics
Transcript
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