News Update: 'One Tree Hill' Stars Reflect

BETHANY JOY GALEOTTI CHATS WITH THR DURING A TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOC. EVENT 

Bethany Joy Galeotti, James Lafferty and Sophia Bush at TCA party

Nine seasons. Nearly 200 episodes. That will be One Tree Hill's legacy in a nutshell when the CW officially closes the book on the long-running drama in a few months.

"It’s done. All the stages have been torn down," James Lafferty (Nathan) told The Hollywood Reporter at a Television Critics Assoc. party celebrating the show Thursday. "It’s the end of the road and we’ve crossed the finish line. You get more of a sense of accomplishment than you do sadness."

Production on the final season wrapped in October but it still hasn't sunk in yet for Lafferty and company, many of whom -- along with executive producers Mark Schwahn, who told THR season 9 will be "dark," and Joe Davola -- showed up to the evening's festivities. "I’m really grateful. It’s quite a journey," Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley) said to THR of nine seasons on the WB and the CW.

Lafferty, Galeotti and co-star Sophia Bush (Brooke), who directed the series' penultimate episode, took a moment to look back on their One Tree Hill experience and offered nuggets to the weeks ahead:

THE FINAL SCENE

Bush: "I was the last person who was filmed on the show, so the final scene for me was the final scene for One Tree Hill."
Galeotti: "The final scene I shot was a scene on the stage and it's on Julian's (Austin Nichols) soundstage. It was a very emotional day. We all took turns. We all walked through the door across the stage on-camera and hopefully, they'll use that last shot somewhere."
Lafferty: "We all had different last days. For me, my last day was just weird. It was strange. It's impossible for it to feel like the last day because we've been doing it for so long. I won't remember that being the last day til two months, a year down the road when I realize it's never coming back. My final scene was with Bethany Joy Galeotti. I can't give it away but that was my final scene."

THEME OF THE FINAL SEASON

Lafferty: "It is [very dark]. It's a totally different season and it's something we haven't seen before -- a tall statement for what One Tree Hill is. We've done some pretty outlandish things. We've taken the audience on several rollercoasters but I can guarantee you that the audience has never seen anything like this so far."
Bush, of Schwahn's hint that not everyone will be seen by season's end: "I can't say anything about it otherwise they're going to kill me!"
Galeotti: "A lot of characters return who you haven't seen in a while. That's a lot of what this season is about, bringing the nostalgia of the last nine seasons." (Former series regular Chad Michael Murray will be back for an appearance.)

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR TREE HILL

Galeotti: "Haley's journey is going to be finding out what her limits are, what she's capable of and exploring how to hold down the fort."
Lafferty: "For the first time in his life, Nathan is put in a situation that he has absolutely no control over. It's frustrating for him to have to deal with it."

One Tree Hill airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Read the entire article at HERE.

News Update: Sophia Bush on Brooke & Haley

In an exclusive in depth interview with Zap2it.com, Sophia Bush reveals what we can expect for Brooke's character, and more importantly how she and Bethany Joy Galeotti got into the rhythm of working together as their characters reopen Karen's Café.

'ONE TREE HILL': SOPHIA BUSH BRINGS BROOKE DAVIS TO LIFE ONE LAST TIME 

Sophia Bush

Confession: When Sophia Bush tweeted her final photo from the "One Tree Hill" set on the night that the series wrapped for good, we started crying. In public. It wasn't exactly our finest moment.

While the series may have ended for Sophia, though, we can look forward to 13 final episodes with Brooke Davis (and the rest of the gang, of course) before we officially say goodbye. We were lucky enough to visit Sophia and her co-stars in Wilmington back in September, when we sat down with Sophia and got the scoop on her last weeks with B. Davis.

When Season 9 begins, we meet Brooke in a very happy place as she and Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) bring back a bit of nostaglia for themselves -- and the fans -- at Karen's Café. "It's great that she and Haley have come together to start this café. Joy and I were having so much fun that first episode," Sophia says, sitting with us in the "Naley" house living room set as thunder raged outside the studio. "We had this whole rhythm down -- how we would move, and where we could keep our aprons, and what we'd do to make it look like we'd done it a million times already. That's really great for [Brooke], and it's such a tie to the community and where she grew up. Brooke, more than anyone, has wanted nothing more than to be in her home. So I love her having that, and I love Brooke and Haley having that partnership, because they're such good friends."

Read more on Sophia's interview, HERE.

News Update: Joy's All-Time Favorite Episode

Over the last eight seasons, One Tree Hill has had its fair share of drama, heartbreak, death and crazy plotlines (the dog ate Dan's new heart!). As we prepare to say goodbye to the long running CW series, TVGuide.com caught up with the cast as they shared with us their favorite episodes. Click HERE to see Chad Michael Murray, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Sophia Bush and others look back.

THE CAST OF ONE TREE HILL SHARE THEIR ALL-TIME FAVORITE EPISODES

CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY (Lucas Scott) 

Favorite Episode: The Pilot (Season 1)

"Through three Haleys [the role was recast twice], the River Court and shooting all night long ... my memory of it is so tranquil and so vivid that it'll always be such a warm and great memory."

(Left-Right) Galeotti, Lafferty

BETHANY JOY GALEOTTI (Haley James Scott)
Favorite Episode: "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" (Season 6)

"I had a blast on the '40s episode [written by Chad Michael Murray] — even though it was a little corny." 

SOPHIA BUSH (Brooke Davis)
Favorite Episode: "Now Lift Your Eyes to the Sun" (Season 7)

"My favorite experience thus far was my first episode directing. It was such a great ride and there is something that feels very right about that when you have been such a part of a show for a long time. To be in the position … where my entire job revolved around the behind-the-scenes aspect was a sensational experience and made me even more aware as an actor."


Read more of the cast's favorite episodes, HERE.