I can't remember the full quote about seeing your heroes become villains, but given recent events, it's a quote that isn't leaving my head any time soon. As my last post was inspired by, there have been a lot of highly negative revelations about how embedded sexual harassment and assault are in certain cultures, namely that of TV and film. Every story bravely told by a survivor has touched my heart and angered my soul, but there is one that has particularly struck me.
As I have mentioned before, One Tree Hill is an absolute favourite TV show of mine. When I was thoroughly struggling to navigate the years from 14 until about 18, it found me and helped me. I connected with Peyton Sawyer's character better than I did with some real people at that time. This means that that TV show is always going to have a special place in my heart, and I'm always eager to share it with others.
Unfortunately however, One Tree Hill has become attached to the negativity the TV and film industry is currently embroiled in. It was revealed on Twitter that the show's runner Mark Schwahn displayed predatory behaviour throughout the show's run, sexually harassing many of the females connected to the show. This letter has been written:
To Whom It May Concern,
All of the female cast members of One Tree Hill have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another. To use terminology that has become familiar as thesystemic reality of sexual harassment and assault has come more and more to light, Mark Schwahn’s behavior over the duration of the filming of One Tree Hill was something of an “open secret.” Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show had her career trajectory threatened.
The through line in all of this was, and still is, our unwavering support of and faith in one another. We confided in each other. We set up safe spaces to talk about his behavior and how to handle it. To warn new women who joined our ranks. We understood that a lot of it was orchestrated in ways that kept it out of sight for the studio back home. We also understood that no one was fully unaware. The lack of action that has been routine, the turning of the other cheek, is intolerable. We collectively want to echo the calls of women everywhere that vehemently demand change, in all industries.
Many of us were told, during filming, that coming forward to talk about this culture would result in our show being canceled and hundreds of lovely, qualified, hard-working, and talented people losing their jobs. This is not an appropriate amount of pressure to put on young girls. Many of us since have stayed silent publicly but had very open channels of communication in our friend group and in our industry, because we want Tree Hill to remain the place “where everything’s better and everything’s safe” for our fans; some of whom have said that the show quite literally saved their lives. But the reality is, no space is safe when it has an underlying and infectious cancer. We have worked at taking our power back, making the conventions our own, and relishing in the good memories. But there is more work to be done.
We are all deeply grateful for Audrey’s courage. For one another. And for every male cast mate and crew member who has reached out to our group of women to offer their support these last few days. They echo the greater rallying cry that must lead us to change: Believe Women. We are all in this together.
With Love and Courage,
The Cast,
Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Danneel Harris, Michaela McManus, Kate Voegele, Daphne Zuniga, India DeBeaufort, Bevin Prince, Jana Kramer, Shantel Van Santen, and Allison Munn
And Brave Crew,
Audrey Wauchope, Rachel Specter, Jane Beck, Tarin Squillante, Cristy Koebley, JoJo Stephens
And All the rest of the Women We Worked With Who Are Finding Their Voices as We Speak
I could not have more admiration for these women, who fought against such horrific behaviour to bring to the masses some of the strongest female characters I have ever known. They're incredible people, and the show can still be considered the amazing safety net that it is for so many. That show was not one man and his horrendous actions, that show was a platform from which battles were fought, points were made, and strong people grew.
As the letter says; we're all in this together. Even if it hasn't happened to you, it will have happened to your mother, sister, friend, colleague, favourite actors. This is a worldwide problem that no amount of privilege can protect a person from it. It's absolute shit that so many have been abused in this way, but the fact that so many have mean that whatever you have faced, you are not alone. You are not the only one. There are people out there who can share in your experiences, and there are even more people there that can support and want to fight this horror with you.
The times they are a-changing, and it's about bloody time. #BurnitdownSis
As I have mentioned before, One Tree Hill is an absolute favourite TV show of mine. When I was thoroughly struggling to navigate the years from 14 until about 18, it found me and helped me. I connected with Peyton Sawyer's character better than I did with some real people at that time. This means that that TV show is always going to have a special place in my heart, and I'm always eager to share it with others.
Unfortunately however, One Tree Hill has become attached to the negativity the TV and film industry is currently embroiled in. It was revealed on Twitter that the show's runner Mark Schwahn displayed predatory behaviour throughout the show's run, sexually harassing many of the females connected to the show. This letter has been written:
To Whom It May Concern,
All of the female cast members of One Tree Hill have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another. To use terminology that has become familiar as thesystemic reality of sexual harassment and assault has come more and more to light, Mark Schwahn’s behavior over the duration of the filming of One Tree Hill was something of an “open secret.” Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show had her career trajectory threatened.
The through line in all of this was, and still is, our unwavering support of and faith in one another. We confided in each other. We set up safe spaces to talk about his behavior and how to handle it. To warn new women who joined our ranks. We understood that a lot of it was orchestrated in ways that kept it out of sight for the studio back home. We also understood that no one was fully unaware. The lack of action that has been routine, the turning of the other cheek, is intolerable. We collectively want to echo the calls of women everywhere that vehemently demand change, in all industries.
Many of us were told, during filming, that coming forward to talk about this culture would result in our show being canceled and hundreds of lovely, qualified, hard-working, and talented people losing their jobs. This is not an appropriate amount of pressure to put on young girls. Many of us since have stayed silent publicly but had very open channels of communication in our friend group and in our industry, because we want Tree Hill to remain the place “where everything’s better and everything’s safe” for our fans; some of whom have said that the show quite literally saved their lives. But the reality is, no space is safe when it has an underlying and infectious cancer. We have worked at taking our power back, making the conventions our own, and relishing in the good memories. But there is more work to be done.
We are all deeply grateful for Audrey’s courage. For one another. And for every male cast mate and crew member who has reached out to our group of women to offer their support these last few days. They echo the greater rallying cry that must lead us to change: Believe Women. We are all in this together.
With Love and Courage,
The Cast,
Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Danneel Harris, Michaela McManus, Kate Voegele, Daphne Zuniga, India DeBeaufort, Bevin Prince, Jana Kramer, Shantel Van Santen, and Allison Munn
And Brave Crew,
Audrey Wauchope, Rachel Specter, Jane Beck, Tarin Squillante, Cristy Koebley, JoJo Stephens
And All the rest of the Women We Worked With Who Are Finding Their Voices as We Speak
I could not have more admiration for these women, who fought against such horrific behaviour to bring to the masses some of the strongest female characters I have ever known. They're incredible people, and the show can still be considered the amazing safety net that it is for so many. That show was not one man and his horrendous actions, that show was a platform from which battles were fought, points were made, and strong people grew.
As the letter says; we're all in this together. Even if it hasn't happened to you, it will have happened to your mother, sister, friend, colleague, favourite actors. This is a worldwide problem that no amount of privilege can protect a person from it. It's absolute shit that so many have been abused in this way, but the fact that so many have mean that whatever you have faced, you are not alone. You are not the only one. There are people out there who can share in your experiences, and there are even more people there that can support and want to fight this horror with you.
The times they are a-changing, and it's about bloody time. #BurnitdownSis
