Disgraced showrunner Mark Schwahn being eligible for compensation is a major factor discouraging a reboot, Bethany Joy Lenz says.
Weeks after Bethany Joy Lenz told ET she had not had any discussions about a possible One Tree Hill reboot, she and former co-star Jana Kramer are dishing on the "divided" cast and the one "big issue" making a reunion unappealing.
During a discussion between the two actresses on Kramer’s podcast, Whine Down With Jana Kramer, they talked about struggles on the set back in the day.
“It was hard for us, because I felt like when we came on the show, just being so honest, it was a very divided set," Kramer told Lenz. "I feel like everyone already had their places and it was either, ‘Are you going to be in the A team or the B team?' It was just tricky."
Kramer, who portrayed Alex Dupre, went on to claim that such an environment was partly created by disgraced showrunner, Mark Schwahn, who was accused of inappropriate behavior by stars of both One Tree Hill and his more recent series, The Royals, in 2017.
Lenz, who played Haley James Scott on the series, echoed Kramer’s thoughts about a divided cast.
"It would be great to go back and not have it feel like it was divided in any way or when we were going through a rough patch," she said.
One Tree Hill ran from 2003 to 2012, making stars of actors including Lenz, Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Tyler Hilton.
While fans have long hoped for a revival, Lenz gave a simple "no," when asked about the possibility of a reboot by ET's Katie Krause at the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries summer 2019 TCA press tour event last month.
“I didn't know he was gonna come,” Lenz also added, when told that Murray had planned to attend the event.
On Kramer’s podcast, Lenz noted that Schwahn being eligible for compensation for any sort of revival (given he created the series) was a major factor standing in the way of a reunion.
"The problem is the creator of the show, on any incarnation of the show ... that's a big issue," she said. "And, I think that would be the big thing standing in the way. Unless, he was willing to donate it all or something."
While alleged drama involving Schwahn on set may have divided the cast at the time, Hilton told ET last October that once the allegations became public, the cast formed even tighter bonds.
“That was a strange thing to go through as a family, but like anything, you get through it and there has been a lot of healing and talking,” Hilton said. “Out of respect for everyone, I don’t want to say too much about it because it’s not totally my thing, but certainly any way I could be there for everybody I was, whether it was just lending an ear or supporting them. I think that’s where the friendship part really came out through the work relationships.”
While there may not be any reboot of the series on the horizon, Murray had a recent reunion of his own, shooting the Hallmark Christmas movie, Five Cards for Christmas alongside another One Tree Hill alum, Torrey DeVitto, who played Nanny Carrie.
See more on One Tree Hill below.
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