Sophia Bush is known for many projects over the years of her career, including four seasons of NBC primetime with Chicago P.D. and the iconic 2006 teen comedy John Tucker Must Die. That said, many of her fans have been following her since her days as Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill, where she starred for all nine of the WB/CW show’s seasons. Now, more than ten years after the 2012 finale with the 2024 TV schedule in full swing, Bush explained why she couldn’t change her hair as Brooke.
Despite opening up about negative set experiences on One Tree Hill due to the behavior of creator Mark Schwahn, Sophia Bush has remained fond of the series and her co-stars, including kinda sorta coming around to the idea of a revival and co-hosting the Drama Queens rewatch podcast with fellow OTH alums Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz. Bush reflected on why she wasn’t allowed to change her hair throughout the era of that show (a.k.a. from 2003-2012) during a recent appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
She and celeb partner Alex Edelman were asked about what “pulling a Felicity” means after a TV incident in the ‘90s. Bush didn’t waste a moment, quickly saying:
This is my era. This is also burned into my memory. This is why we were never allowed to cut or change our hair on One Tree Hill. I’m going to go back to the ‘90s television show moment and go with D, hair, final answer… I’m not kidding. We were never.
Felicity starred Keri Russell, was created by J.J. Abrams, and ran for four seasons on The WB from 1999-2002, meaning that Felicity was still fresh in pop culture when One Tree Hill premiered in 2003. While there were undoubtedly many reasons why the critically acclaimed Felicity’s ratings dipped drastically from Season 1 to Season 2, the legend around Felicity is that it was doomed as soon as Keri Russell’s curly hair was cut to a bob for Season 2. The origin of the haircut was actually a joke played by Russell, but it became an infamous reality.
And apparently, the higher ups at One Tree Hill were so determined to avoid “pulling a Felicity” with Sophia Bush and presumably the rest of the cast that personal haircuts were just not allowed. I doubt the biggest reason for Felicity tanking really is Keri Russell's hair, but OTH certainly did run for longer than Felicity did. Russell’s show ended after 84 episodes over four seasons; One Tree Hill ran for nine seasons and 187 episodes.
Sophia Bush could clearly laugh about the haircut rule nowadays, but I have to wonder if she felt differently back in her WB/CW days. If you’re now in the mood to revisit the highs and lows of One Tree Hill, you can find all nine seasons streaming with a Hulu subscription and/or Max subscription. Bush’s episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will be available streaming on Hulu. You can also check out our list of shows like One Tree Hill for some similar but not identical options!
