Famous actress Hilarie Burton from “One Tree Hill” was allegedly assaulted by creator Mark Schwahn, and she credits co-star Chad Michael Murray for defending her.
Burton is one of 18 women who accused Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment, and she shared details of her alleged experience during a recent interview with Variety. Burton echoed the pleas of her co-star who was also allegedly harassed by the creator of the show.
“Please stop hitting on me and please stop touching me and please stop trying to make out with me at bars. I’m very uncomfortable,” she said. Burton agreed with the statement and added, “Like, that should just be the bare fucking minimum!” according to Variety.
How Chad Michael Murray Defended Hilarie Burton After Alleged Assault https://t.co/X9BNLbc594
— E! News (@enews) March 16, 2023
Throughout her narrative, Burton referred to Schwahn simply as “boss,” without ever using his real name. She alleged that she was assaulted while traveling to Texas with Schwahn.
“The flight back from that is when he assaulted me. He assaulted me again in the car on the drive from Raleigh to Wilmington,” she said to Variety. “He went straight to set and he told Danneel [Ackles] that he and I made out the whole time, and it was fun, and he was trying to make her jealous.”
She explained how deeply she was affected by the situation.
“I didn’t know how to process it anymore and you can see it in the episode. You can see that I’m not there … I look like shit, I’m not connecting in any way,” she said, according to Variety.
During the interview, Burton was asked why she never told anyone about what was allegedly happening to her, and she responded by explaining she did — and finally, her co-star came to her rescue.
“Oh, I did. I told all sorts of people. Honey, I told everybody,” Burton said. (RELATED: Famous Actress Ellen Barkin Alleges On-Set Harassment By Director Harold Becker)
Hilarie Burton Says Chad Michael Murray Defended Her Against One Tree Hill Creator During Alleged Assault https://t.co/9k4n5QIxUC
— People (@people) March 16, 2023
“Chad [Michael Murray] walked up and goes, ‘What are you doing?’ He said that to our boss in the bar,” Burton told Variety.
She then explained why in spite of telling others about the alleged assault, it was Murray that was able to speak up.
“He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad didn’t have anything to lose because he knew our boss hated him anyway,” she said. “A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don’t speak up when you have a lot to lose.”
“He had the most power, so he could come up and shove our boss off you and get in a fight. And I’m glad that he did,” Burton said. “I want everybody to follow that lead.”
Schwahn faces allegations of sexual harassment dating back to 2017 but has not addressed them directly.