Sophia Bush recently opened up about her experiences on the set of the teen drama ‘One Tree Hill,’ which aired from 2003 to 2012.

During an appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast, the 38-year-old actress, who portrayed Brooke Davis in the show, discussed how she and her co-stars were often made to feel uncomfortable by the dialogue and situations their characters faced.

Bush and her fellow ‘One Tree Hill’ actresses frequently reminisce about the show’s unrealistic portrayal of female relationships.

“We’re like, girls don’t talk to each other the way we had to talk to each other on that show, and also don’t behave the way we had to behave on that show,” Bush stated.

“That was, like, some gross older man’s fantasy. And it was icky.”

The actress also touched on the challenges she faced being in her early 20s while playing a high school student.

She described how they were expected to act like adults, but some behind-the-scenes team members did not trust them.

“We didn’t know anything. We were babies,” she admitted.

Reflecting on her own experience, she recalled attending an all-girls school and wearing a uniform only three years prior to starting the show.

Bush felt unprepared for her role and described her younger self as naive.

Looking back, Bush said the cast members realized they were young and inexperienced but did not have a supportive environment to learn and grow.

“We felt like little kids,” she added.

The actress also noted that, in hindsight, she and her co-stars were fetishized and expected to act like adults while being treated as pawns.

They were subjected to controlling and manipulative behavior from grown-ups they trusted, who did not want the actors to bond out of fear they would demand more money.

‘One Tree Hill’ featured a star-studded cast, including Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, and more.

In 2017, the series creator, Mark Schwahn, faced accusations of sexual harassment, physical and emotional manipulation from 18 female cast and crew members, including Bush and Burton.

Bush has previously shared details of her allegations against Schwahn during an appearance on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show, Andy Cohen Live, in June 2018.

The actress revealed that she had physical altercations with her boss, who was eventually fired from E! drama The Royals after an investigation into harassment allegations.

In January 2020, Bush shared her experiences of fighting with her boss and the writers on set, particularly regarding scenes that required her to be in her underwear.

She explained that, at the time, she did not fully understand the power dynamics at play but still voiced her concerns about the inappropriate nature of the scenes.

Now a producer herself, Bush is committed to fostering a positive, supportive environment on her sets.

She wants to create spaces where people can ask questions and be challenged, without feeling threatened or uncomfortable.