'One Tree Hill' Cast: Where Are They Now?
One Tree Hill ended more than 10 years ago, but the teen drama still holds a firm place in our memories (and on Hulu streaming).
Perhaps that's why the cast is so often asked about a reboot. Last year, in an interview with New York-based WNYW, Chad Michael Murray responded to one such inquiry by giving fans the tiniest bit of hope. “There's always talk. I will say that. There is always chatter, he said. "I do believe that there should be a new Tree Hill generation. I think that there's so many issues today that society faces that could be handled on this show."
Aside from fielding questions about a revival, what's the cast up to now? Read on for details on what the One Tree Hill stars have been up to since the show aired its last episode in 2012.
'One Tree Hill' cast: Where are they now?
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray, who played arguably the most important character in OTH—basketball star/spurned son and brother Lucas Scott—dominated TV and movie screens in the late 1990s and early 2000s. You may have seen him in Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Freaky Friday (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
Murray left OTH before its seventh season, reportedly due to a pay dispute, and has acted on and off since then. He’s appeared in several TV movies and landed roles in shows like Riverdale and Marvel’s Agent Carter.
Most recently, Murray features as a main character in the Canadian show Sullivan’s Crossing, which premieres for U.S. audiences on Oct. 4, 2023 on The CW.
Related: 'Sullivan's Crossing' Is Heading to The CW! Here Is Everything to Know About the Canadian Drama
Hilarie Burton
Hilarie Burton Morgan played the angsty, artistic character of Peyton Sawyer, who ends up with Murray’s Lucas Scott. She left the show after the Season 6 finale at least in part due to an allegedly toxic environment behind the scenes. (In 2017, Burton Morgan, alongside 18 other women from the series, accused showrunner Mark Schwahn of sexual assault and harassment, according to Variety.)
Since her OTH departure, the actress—who's married to Jeffrey Dean Morgan—has snagged guest roles on a number of shows, including Castle, Grey’s Anatomy and The Walking Dead, as well as recurring roles on the shows White Collar, Extant and Lethal Weapon. She also hosts Drama Queens, a rewatch podcast she hosts with costars Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush.
Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush played cheerleader Brooke Davis, Peyton’s brazen best friend and on-and-off love interest of Lucas (because every show needs a good love triangle). During her time on OTH, she acted in the movies Supercross (2005), John Tucker Must Die (2006) and Table for Three (2009).
Bush has found plenty of success after OTH, too. She starred in Chicago P.D. from 2014 to 2017 and in the one-season medical drama Good Sam in 2022. She’s made guest appearances on many shows, including This Is Us, Jane the Virgin and Love, Victor.
James Lafferty
James Lafferty, who played Murray’s on-screen brother Nathan Scott, is the youngest original cast member. When he started filming Season 1 he was just 17 years old, and most of the other actors were in their 20s.
Lafferty is still active in Hollywood today. After wrapping up OTH, he acted in movies like Oculus (2013) and Lost on Purpose (2013). He’s also stayed in TV, appearing in John Legend’s show Underground, The Right Stuff and All American. He co-writes his Hulu series Everyone Is Doing Great with fellow OTH alum Stephen Colletti.
Related: 5 Shows That Should Never Have Been Rebooted
Bethany Joy Lenz
Bethany Joy Lenz acted as Haley James Scott, Lucas’ nerdy best friend who later marries Nathan. She was one of the more experienced actors on OTH starting out, with credits on the TV shows Guiding Light, Charmed and The Guardian.
Since the OTH finale, Lenz has appeared on shows including Dexter, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, as well as some TV movies. Mainly, though, she’s been working on her music career. As fans may remember, her character Haley had musical talent that apparently translated off the screen. Lenz has released multiple studio albums and EPs, and launched her own jewelry line in 2016.
Lee Norris (Mouth McFadden)
Lee Norris played Marvin “Mouth” McFadden, a close friend of Brooke’s who announced many of Tree Hill High’s basketball games. At the time of the show, Norris was already well-known for his role as Minkus in the popular ‘90s sitcom Boy Meets World.
Since OTH, Norris has stayed mainly out of the limelight. He has picked up a few credits, though, including reprising his role as Minkus in 2014 on Girl Meets World, and small roles in Gone Girl (2014) and Greyhound (2020).
Moira Kelly (Karen Roe)
Moira Kelly played Lucas’ mom, Karen Roe, who owns a cafe in Tree Hill (and eventually the nightclub Tric). Kelly is known as the adult voice of Nala in The Lion King (1994) and for roles in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and The Cutting Edge (1992). She’s still active in Hollywood today, appearing in many TV movies as well as the 2023 series Citadel.
Paul Johansson (Dan Scott)
Paul Johansson played the much-hated role of Dan Scott, dad to Nathan and Lucas. Johansson was a seasoned actor by that time and has consistently acted since. Recent credits to his name include Mad Men, Once Upon a Time and Van Helsing.
Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb Scott)
Barbara Alyn Woods played Deb Scott, wife to Dan and mother to Nathan. Woods had a long resumé by the time she took up the complicated role of Deb, having appeared on major shows like The Golden Girls and Seinfeld. While she was on OTH she also acted on Desperate Housewives and The Gates.
She’s still acting, but Woods hasn’t taken on as many projects in recent years. In 2021 and 2022, though, she was on nine episodes of the TV series Chucky.
Craig Sheffer (Keith Scott)
Craig Sheffer acted as Lucas’ uncle and Dan’s brother Keith, a standup guy who unfortunately met his end by Dan’s hand in Season 3. Sheffer has been acting since he was young and is most known for the movie A River Runs Through It (1992), which he stars in with Brad Pitt.
Since OTH, Sheffer has appeared in Code of Honor (2016), Destruction Los Angeles (2017) and Season 10 of American Horror Story, among other things.