After graduating from Park View High School, Hilarie Burton knew she wanted to take up acting as a career. She then went on to work as a video jockey before landing her breakthrough role on the hit TV series One Tree Hill. Thereafter, she did a couple of movies and has been for the most part a very low-key actress. In 2017, she spoke out against One Tree Hill showrunner Mark Schwahn that left her feeling as if she would never be cast again.
These days, Hilary lives a much different life than she has in the past. She is a farmer and author. For starters, she has just released her first book The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm where she talks about the ups and downs of her marriage with husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, life living on a farm (named Mischief Farm) outside Hollywood, her struggles with infertility and, of course, her career. With that, let us look at a few interesting things most do not know about her:
15 She Was Head Cheerleader In Real Life
Playing a cheerleader on One Tree Hill was not her first time doing it. In high school, she was the captain of her cheerleading squad. Burton was quite popular in high school just like her character. Other than cheerleading, she was the student council president and the homecoming queen of her senior year.
14 Her Big Break Was Working As A Video Jockey
Since she did not have the permission to watch MTV while growing up, Burton’s first job was a Video Jockey for MTV’s Total Request Live. She got the role as a guest commentator for one segment but eventually got a more permanent role. This opened more doors for her; she became the presenter for the 2000 VMAs and even landed her TV debut role in Dawson’s Creek.
13 She Has Worked At Buffalo Wing Factory
Burton’s favorite joint to have a meal growing up was Buffalo Wing Factory. She liked the wings so much that she and most of her friends worked there in High School and some even still work there to date. Every time, she visits her hometown in Northern Virginia she has to visit the factory without fail.
12 That Infamous Moment With Ben Affleck
Burton called out Ben Affleck for acting inappropriately towards her in 2003 when he was a guest on Total Request Live. Burton was 19 at that time and did not realize she would be putting up with much worse behavior later in her career. She brought the incident to light in 2017 and Ben never denied her accusations, instead, he issued a public apology for his actions.
11 She Was Harassed Early In Her Career
Burton was so happy to land the role of Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill (OTH) but this joy was short-lived when she became a victim of sexual harassment. She never spoke about it until years later in 2017 when she revealed that OTH’s showrunner Mark Schwahn sexually harassed her and other female cast members while they were filming the show. She explains in-depth in her book why she stayed silent for years and her regret.
10 Why She Left The Show
Burton and co-star Chad Murray departed from One Tree Hill after season six, the show still went on for another three more seasons. Fans speculated that the two left due to contractual disagreements but Burton, in her book, wrote she left because she wanted more. The death of a close friend made her realize she wanted to start a family, take more risks, and be intentional. Therefore, she left and never returned.
9 Many Jobs Passed Her By
After she spoke against Mark Schwahn, Burton feared that she would lose many jobs thereafter. She told usmagazine that when people Google her and all these negative stories come up, she is immediately labeled as trouble and she could not get role. Burton has only appeared in two films, The Christmas Contract and A Christmas Wish since then, which proves her point. However, we are not too sure if she was actively looking for roles.
8 She Only Accepts Jobs From People She Knows
Once bitten, twice shy is a saying Burton knows too well. Due to past Incidents, the actress only accepts jobs from people she knows especially if the project is going to be long-term like OTH, which went on for six seasons. Fortunately, she has managed to land a couple of movie roles since exiting the series.
7 Meeting Her Husband
Co-star and friend Danneel Ackels and her husband Jensen Ackles wanted her to meet someone badly. They arranged a blind date and took Burton to a bar to meet Jeffrey Dean Morgan. At that time, they both had busy schedules; Peyton was to travel to Paris while Morgan was going to shoot The Resident in New Mexico. However, he managed to convince her to tag along to New Mexico and the rest was history.
6 Challenges Getting To Their Wedding Day
Burton and Morgan started dating in 2009 and had their first child the following year. Word started going around that the two tied the knot in 2014 but this was not true. The couple married in October 2019. They ideally wanted their wedding to be in January 2018 in St. Marteen. This date was a month before her due date with their second child, but the Zika Virus hit and then Hurricane Irma and they had to postpone until the fall of 2019.
5 She Has Struggled With Fertility Issues
Burton is a mother of two but her journey to motherhood especially the second time around was not that easy. After having the easiest labor with first son, Gus, Burton was ready to try again for baby number two. However, things never happened as planned, she struggled with infertility and this took a toll on their marriage. She gave birth to their daughter, Virginia, eight years later.
4 She Went Through Unbearable Losses
Trying for a second child put her through unbearable losses. After a year and a half of struggling for baby number two, she had a miscarriage. The loss hit both of them so hard but after talking it through, they decided to move forward as a team, they faced two more miscarriages before successfully getting pregnant in 2017. Even then, Burton was scared and constantly checked her daughter’s heartbeat until she was born.
3 She Co-Owns A Candy Shop
Burton and Morgan co-own a candy store called Samuel’s Sweet Shop with none other than Ant-Man star Paul Rudd. When Ira Gunter, the previous owner of the store passed away they knew they had to save the store since they were good friends with Gunter. Therefore, they along with Rudd and a couple of other friends bought the store.
2 She Lives On A Farm
Burton moved from the hustle and bustle of North Carolina to live a peaceful life in Mischief Farm located in Hudson Valley. The idea was to look for a place that would remind her of her life growing up in Virginia so that her kids can have a similar childhood. Fun fact, when Burton and Morgan first met they talked about owning a farm and now it is a reality.
1 She Collects Antiques
Burton has shared that as a kid she enjoyed gardening, knitting, crocheting, and making bread, activities she termed ‘grandma’ things. Now that she is grown, she can comfortably do all these things as well as incorporate her new hobby of collecting antiques. Fortunately, with all the space on the farm, Burton can collect as many antiques as she wants to.
Sources: metro.co.uk, eonline.com, usmagazine.com.