15 Things You Didn't Know About 'One Tree Hill'

An adorable small town. A basketball court by the river. A group of friends. Big dreams and even bigger hearts. The early 200os teen drama One Tree Hill was super popular and still is to this very day. The show starred Chad Michael Murray as Lucas Scott, an aspiring writer who lives with his single mom in Tree Hill, who just so happens to know that his real dad is the very wealthy Dan Scott… which means that he has a step-brother, athlete Nathan Scott. Yup, it's one complicated story, and that's why you were so interested in tuning in. You loved Brooke Davis, played by Sophia Bush, the party girl who became a famous fashion designer, and you were always excited to see what was going on with her BFFs. You loved the dark and creative Peyton Sawyer, played by Hillarie Burton, and the sweet Hayley James, played by Bethany Joy Lenz, who ended up marrying Nathan super young. But do you know all that there is to know about this show? Here are 15 things you didn't know about One Tree Hill.

15 The Setting Was The Same For 'Dawson's Creek'

Yup, both One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek were filmed in the exact same place: Wilmington, North Carolina. The bridge that is a big part of One Tree Hill, especially the theme song, is the actual bridge in that town. You can also head to that place and see the actual homes that were the filming locations for Brooke and other characters. If you do some Googling, you can go on a tour of the town and see the filming locations, which is definitely cool. You would for sure love to do that if you're a fan of both teen dramas. In fact, that town is a popular tourist location for that very reason. It would be super fun to visit an adorable small town that is honestly beautiful and peaceful and picture-esque… and also happens to be the physical location for your fave and most nostalgic-making shows.

14 James Lafferty Signed A Contract For Half Of Season 9

You know how Nathan disappeared for most of the final and ninth season? You probably thought that was simply a creative decision, right? Actually, that's totally wrong. Surprising, right? James Lafferty signed a contract for the last season -- but he only signed a contract for half the amount of the episodes that were produced and aired. So it turns out that the creative choice was made after he had signed that contract. Interesting, right? That was definitely an amazing storyline, though, since you cared so much about Nathan and Haley. They had grown up together, they were doing so well, and they also were raising the most adorable kids. You really wanted him to come back home and it was pretty tough to watch this plot line. At least everything worked out in the end. You couldn't have taken it otherwise.

13 Only James Was An Actual Adolescent

If you think that all of the actors were teenagers when the show was filmed, that's not true, either. It turns out that only James Lafferty was actually an adolescent during the show. When it first started, he was 18 years old, and everyone else was in their 20s. Sure, they were in their early 20s, as in 22 years old, so that isn't that much older… but at the same time, being in your 20s is so much different than being in high school. There was one actor who was much older, as in late 20s, as in 28, and that would be Antwon Tanner who was the character of Skills Taylor. But really, this isn't that surprising since a lot of actors on teen shows like Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills, 90210 were actually older. Some people like to joke that it's not believable that these people were in high school since they looked older, but hey, you love all of these teen shows so you're not going to say anything negative.

12 The Actress Who Played Haley Is Really A Singer

One of the fun things about One Tree Hill is that Haley is a singer and you see her performing or singing at her piano. She's got an absolutely beautiful voice and this adds a cool layer to the show. It turns out that Bethany Joy Lenz, the actress who played Haley, actually is a singer. She has been in a band called Everly and she releases gorgeous and inspiring songs. The show runner and creator, Mark Schwahn, didn't know that Bethany was a singer until he heard her singing one day, and then he decided to make that part of Haley's storyline as well. Pretty cool. That's the magical and wonderful world of TV, right? Sometimes ideas come from places that you never would expect. So it makes sense that Haley can sing so well because, well, the actress playing her really can belt out those tunes.

11 The Insane Nanny Was A Joke At First

On TV shows, there are always writers rooms, and those sound like the most fun places ever. The writers can swap story ideas, make jokes, and generally talk. It turns out that the storyline where Nanny Carrie goes insane was actually a joke… well, at least at first. One of the writers on the show, Mike Daniels, made this joke. You would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting, right? It must have been pretty hilarious. But it didn't stay a joke. Nope. A while later, aka season five, every decided that was actually an amazing idea and the writers started to take it seriously. So there you have it: the story behind the story of the crazy nanny. If you recognize the actress who played Carrie, Torrey DeVitto, that's because she's currently playing Spencer Hasting's sister Melissa on Pretty Little Liars

10 Haley Was Pregnant IRL

Sometimes TV shows do pretty funny things when a star gets pregnant. Actresses hide behind crazy things like couches or lamps (it sounds like a joke but it's really the truth) or hold massive purses in front of their stomachs. When Haley was pregnant with another kid in the eighth season, it was actually perfect because the actress who played her, Bethany Joy Lenz, was also pregnant. So they didn't have to do anything silly or crazy to hide the fact that she was expecting. If you thought that she seemed like a total natural, well, now you know the truth: because she really was pregnant. It was definitely an exciting storyline when Haley was pregnant again because you knew that she and Nathan are the best parents ever and that growing their family was a beautiful thing. You also knew that Jamie would be a great big brother.

9 Karen Was Pregnant IRL

There was another actress who was pregnant during filming… and the writers and producers decided against having her character have a baby. That would be Moira Kelly who played Karen, mom to Lucas. She was actually expecting a baby during the first season. You probably had no idea, right? She definitely didn't look pregnant. That's because -- yup -- she held purses in front of her stomach and wore really baggy clothes. In this case, they did a really good job hiding the pregnancy since, again, you really didn't know. Sometimes, those tricks do work and they work well. Now you're going to watch all your favorite shows and if you ever see a character wearing a big jacket or holding a big purse, you're going to think that the actress is secretly pregnant. You won't be able to help it.

8 Sophia Bush Dated All Three Male Co-Stars

Remember Brooke's adorable and amazing one true love, Julian Baker? It turns out that Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols were actually dating at the same time that they were playing a couple who were totally and completely in love. The two dated for about four years but by the winter of 2012, things were over. So who else did Sophia Bush date? She was actually married to Chad Michael Murray (aka Lucas Scott) for a short period of time. They got engaged in 2004, got married in April 2005, and then decided to get divorced in September 2005. After that, Sophia dated James Lafferty (aka Nathan Scott). Phew. Talk about a busy love life. It makes sense, though, that Sophia would find love at work since so many people do. You've probably dated at least one co-worker in your life, right? There are only so many places that you can meet people, and the office (or a TV set) is definitely one of those.

7 Lucas And Nathan Almost Switched Actors

James Lafferty is an awesome Nathan and Chad Michael Murray is an equally great Lucas. You are pretty attached to those actors at this point and you can't really see anyone else playing those characters. Right? Well, things might have looked different. At first, Chad Michael Murray was going to play Nathan, not Lucas, although he really wanted to be Lucas. And at first, James Lafferty was interested in being Lucas. Of course, that's not the way that things worked out, and you definitely agree that James is the best Nathan and Chad is the best Lucas. It's always funny to learn some behind-the-scenes stuff about your favorite shows and this is definitely a great fun fact. You also might have even see a different Ryan Atwood on The O.C. since Chad Michael Murray was cast as him but said no so he could be on One Tree Hill. Just another fun fact for you.

6 The Creator Plays A Record Store Owner

So many teen dramas are known for their songs, and One Tree Hill is definitely no exception. That's because the show runner and creator, Mark Schwahn, is a total music buff. So he made sure that this show was among the many that feature really amazing songs in each and every single episode. So what's the fact that you might not have known? Mark plays Mark, a record store owner, in a total of two episodes on the show, which is pretty awesome. If you are a huge fan of this show and could recognize him, then you already knew this, but chances are you might not have known this pretty cool fact. If you want to rewatch these episodes and see this for yourself, that's definitely a good idea. And if you want to rewatch the entire series, well, no one would argue with you. What a great decision.

5 Michael Jordan Played On That Basketball Court

You know the high school basketball court on the show? Michael Jordan (yes, that Michael Jordan) played basketball there. It turns out that he attended the school that the show used as a set. Can you even imagine how cool that must have been for the cast and crew? Since it seems like the cast and crew really were huge basketball fans, they must have been in absolute heaven. Talk about a dream job. They must have been pinching someone every time that they filmed there. But hey, even if they weren't huge sports fans, it would have still been cool. This was definitely a little piece of basketball history and brought some magic to the show. It's really no wonder that you didn't mind watching the sporty scenes, even if you're not really into that stuff. It's like you could just tell that you were watching something really special and beautiful.

4 Haley Wasn't In An Early Draft Of The Pilot

Can you picture One Tree Hill without Haley? Definitely not. She's sweet, she's smart, and she really changes Nathan's entire life. So you can't picture Nathan without Haley. That's really more it. But she's also a great friend to so many other characters, including Lucas, who has been her BFF since childhood. An early draft of the pilot didn't even have a character named Haley. There was a character named Reagan, but no Haley, and the actress playing her was named Samantha Shelton. After a while, some people at The WB thought that another character would work better and Haley was put into the script. Phew. That was a super close call. Sure, you probably would have loved this Reagan character, and you probably would have been a fan of Samantha Shelton as well. You have nothing against her. She probably would have been great.

3 There Was A Swear Jar

Remember swear jars? Maybe your mom had you and your siblings put money into a swear jar. Or maybe you never had one but always saw it on TV or in movies. It turns out that there was a swear jar on the set of One Tree Hill. Since the actor who played Jamie, Haley, and Nathan's adorable son, was seven years old when he started working on the show, that meant that he was around people who were much older than him. Everyone realized that they didn't want to wear when they were around him. So what happened if they did swear? They put a twenty dollar bill into the jar. Talk about lucrative. What's really amazing is that Jackson was given the money later and he even used that to go to college. Such a smart kid. But you knew that already since you love Jamie Scott so much. He really is a great addition to the show.

2 The Title Is From A U2 Tune

Are you wondering where the name One Tree Hill comes from? Sure, you figure that the small town where all of the characters live is called Tree Hill. And near the end of the show, Hayley says, "There's only one Tree Hill and it's your home." But it's actually a U2 song. It's from their 1987 album called The Joshua Tree. Pretty cool, right? You definitely love this name and think it's perfect for this show. If you're a fan of this amazing band, then you might already know the song. But if you don't, then you're definitely going to listen to it on repeat so you can get to know it. You're going to memorize the lyrics. And you're going to love it. It will be your all-time favorite song. Now that you know that the creator and show runner of this teen drama is such a big music fan, it makes sense that the show's title would be based on a song.

1 The Show Was Going To Be A Movie

Originally, Mark Schwahn pictured this TV show as a movie. He wrote a screenplay called Ravens. Makes sense, right? Since you know that the high school basketball team is called the Ravens and Lucas writes a novel called An Unkindness Of Ravens, this comes full circle and seems really cool. Of course, now you're wondering what a film version of One Tree Hill would be like. Sure, you're super grateful that it ended up being a long-running television series and you wouldn't trade that for anything. This is one of your favorite teen shows and it's very special to you. But if you could see a movie version as well, that would be pretty epic. Hey, beggars can absolutely be choosers if you're talking about pop culture. You want it all. Now it's time to curl up on the couch and start One Tree Hill from the very beginning.