'Peyton Sawyer Doesn't Have Nice Moments': The Awkward Story Behind One Tree Hill Alum Hilarie Burton Filming Her Final Scene For The Show
Across One Tree Hill’s nine-season run, there are a number of notable episodes that probably stand out the most in fans’ minds. One such installment is sure to be the Season 6 finale, “Remember Me as a Time of Day.” That’s because it marked Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray’s final episode as regular cast members – and it was the last time Burton ever appeared on the show at all. The actress, who played the role of Peyton Sawyer Scott, recently recalled filming her final scene. And, needless to say, this behind-the-scenes story from the set of one of the best teen dramas streaming right now is awkward.
What Happens During This One Tree Hill Episode?
The Season 6 finale includes a number of major developments, to say the least. For instance, Brooke Davis and her mother, Victoria, come to an understanding, which results in the latter signing Brooke’s clothing company back over to her. Nathan Scott also learns that he’s made it into the NBA. What may be the biggest development, though, is that Peyton and Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) welcome their baby girl, Sawyer. That happens after Peyton is rushed to the hospital after fainting and losing blood.
By episode’s end, the couple and their child leave the town of Tree Hill, North Carolina behind. It’s a bittersweet moment, but that and the hospital scene are incredibly sweet to watch. But, after you hear Hilarie Burton’s account of shooting material for the latter, which was chronologically shot last, you may not look at it the same way.
Hilarie Burton Has A Wild Story To Tell About Shooting Her Final One Tree Hill Scene?
The veteran actress has shared a number of intriguing BTS details about her time on the WB/CW show since she and friends/former co-stars Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz started their Drama Queens podcast. During the latest installment, they reviewed the aforementioned episode and shared their recollections of making it. One of the reasons that it was so odd for the Secret Life of Bees star to film the hospital-set scenes was that she had a prosthetic in order to help her simulate a baby bump. The situation began to really turn, however, after the majority of the crew finished their work:
Between the prosthetic that was on my belly and everything I was hooked up to and the positioning of the camera, it was better for me to just stay on that bed than it was to get up. … And they wrapped everyone in the observation room, and it was just one last shot. It was that sit-up shot, where Peyton sits up and is looking around. And they’re like, ‘OK, that’s a season wrap on everyone!’ And Chad ran down, and he was like, ‘We have more scenes.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He and I had rented out the bar across the street from the hospital set, and we were going to have the whole crew – we were just going to buy drinks for the whole crew at our series wrap. I was like, ‘Yeah, we’re here to the end, dude.’ He was like, ‘Everyone’s just leaving, and they don’t understand. This is your last scene ever.’
So, at this point, you’re probably thinking that the awkwardest portion of this story has to deal with everyone leaving and not acknowledging the Lethal Weapon alum’s final shooting day. But that’s not it. She further explained to Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush that Chad Michael Murray proceeded to do something that (unintentionally) made the situation weirder:
I can only remember it from my perspective. Chad disappeared. And the next thing I know, [the cast members] were coming back in, but I’m strapped to this bed, and everyone was saying goodbye to me. But it felt like a funeral. I’m literally laying there like I’m in a coffin. James Lafferty comes up to the side of the bed and is like, ‘Hey, uh, have a good summer.’ It was so awkward and awful. People would put their head on my hair and say, ‘Well, See you next season,’ and I kept being like, ‘No you won’t! What are you guys talking about?’ It was an out-of-body experience, [like] being at my own character’s funeral and knowing I wasn’t going to see a lot of you [for years].
One can honestly appreciate what Chad Michael Murray seemingly tried to do for his co-star, in wrangling the One Tree Hill cast so that they could say their goodbyes. But, yeah, that all sounds downright cringeworthy and, even now, I’m feeling second-hand embarrassment for Hilarie Burton. She added further thoughts about the ordeal, saying:
It was a deeply uncomfortable experience. Everything about it was gross. I was gross, Peyton’s covered in blood. I can’t hug anyone, and no one can actually hug me because there are so many props involved. … It was the weirdest. I was like, ‘You know what? That actually makes sense. Peyton Sawyer doesn’t have nice moments. Peyton Sawyer has awkward moments.’ But then Chad, after everyone left was like, ‘Isn’t it great that everyone came to say goodbye?’ I was like, ‘Chad, that was awful. Why did you have to do that?’
No one would blame you at all if you were to wince while reading this. Thankfully, the actress made it through and successfully concluded her tenure on the show. However, there’s another moment that she and her co-star experienced during Season 6 that was arguably even more awkward.
How Did Hilarie Burton And Chad Michael Murray Learn They Wouldn’t Be Returning To The Show?
During another episode of Drama Queens that premiered earlier this year, the Solstice alum recalled the moment that she and Chad Michael Murray discovered that the show would be returning for Season 7 – without them. The star explained that she and Murray were filming a flashback sequence for Season 6, Episode 21, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," which was set at Flaming Amy’s Bowl. She noted that, up to that point, everyone in the cast appeared to be in negotiations for new deals, except for her and her on-screen beau. And then came a painful-sounding moment that occurred while the two co-stars were filming:
So we were seated in that diner booth and we're like, it's our last day of filming. We did all of the present day stuff, we did most of the flashback stuff, and all of a sudden, our producer, Greg Prange is like, ‘Alright, everybody. Pause what you're doing. Circle up.’ Just wanted to make the announcement the show is coming back. We've been picked up for a seventh season. And Chad looks at me and he's like, ‘Have you even gotten an offer? I was like, ‘No.’ And he's like, ‘I haven't gotten an offer.’ And so around us, everyone around us is like hugging and high fiving. I mean, it felt like balloons were dropping from the ceiling. Everybody was so fucking pumped. And he and I just kind of sat there, and we knew it was coming.
Hilarie Burton went on to say that they tried to reach out to series creator Mark Schwahn, who she seemingly referred to as “Voldemort” during the podcast and other execs, as they were in town. However, they allegedly “refused” to see her and Chad Michael Murray. Like other members of the cast, the actress had issues with Schwain, who was fired for various allegations of sexual harassment while making The Royals in 2018. Burton has also discussed abuse she experienced due to Schwain.
The leading lady ultimately referred to the collective situation as a “betrayal,” though she eventually came to see it as a blessing in a way. For one, Hilarie Burton’s departure ultimately put her in a position to meet future husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who auditioned for OTH before meeting her). On top of that, she also landed her gig on USA Network’s White Collar. As a whole, Burton’s experiences with filming her final scene and learning beforehand that she was being let go weren’t great. So it’s lovely to hear that she’s since turned the negatives into positives.
You can check out One Tree Hill now with a Hulu subscription, and Max subscribers have access to it as well. There are also plenty of other great teen dramas to stream that you can find on the 2024 TV schedule.
