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Hilary Burton looks back on how she A lone tree on the hill co-star Chad Michael Murray came to her defense.
In the latest edition of Drama Queens podcast, Burton, 40, recalled how Murray, 41, stepped in to defend her against teen drama showrunner Mark Schwan during an alleged assault while on location in Honey Grove, Texas during the fourth season of the series in 2007.
“Chad came up and said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said that to our boss at the bar,” Burton, who played Peyton Sawyer on the show, told her co-hosts and exes OTH costars, Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz.
“He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad had nothing to lose because he knew our boss hated him anyway,” she continued. “A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don’t talk when you have a lot to lose. But [our boss] he felt so comfortable that it wasn’t something he had a problem with. [He thought]”I can do whatever I want with her in public while her boyfriend is standing there.”
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CONNECTED: Hilary Burton says she wants a ‘makeover’ of A lone tree on the hill “with girl boss”
Bush, who was married to Murray from 2005 to 2006, shared that she felt his starring role as Lucas Scott on the show was a factor in his ability to defend Burton.
“It was protected as No. 1 on the call list,” she said. “He had the most power so he could come and push our boss off of you and go into battle. And I’m glad you did. I want everyone to follow this guide.”
Bush, 40, also spoke about the importance of being an ally and protecting others.
“I sympathize with the reality that people are afraid that they will put a hole in the ship and then the ship will sink, but get over it and protect your people. Because this idea that looking at the ground is OK — it’s not, she explained. “And thank God Hilary for having that moment with Chad, who was already so at odds with our boss.”
A representative for Murray did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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CONNECTED: Hilary Burton says sexual harassment she suffered ‘affects the way I parent my daughter’
This isn’t the first time Burton and her colleagues have spoken out A lone tree on the hill and the inappropriate behavior they allegedly experienced on set.
In November 2017, Burton and Bush were among 18 former female cast and crew who accused creator Mark Schwan of sexual harassment.
“Mark Schwann’s behavior during the filming of A lone tree on the hill was something of an “open secret,” the women wrote in the letter. “Many of us were manipulated psychologically and emotionally to varying degrees. More than one of us is still dealing with PTSD. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to quickly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the advocates they should be.”
“Many of us are spoken to in a variety of ways from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to outright illegal,” they continued. “And some of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show has had her career trajectory threatened.”
CONNECTED: Hilary Burton Morgan has been “silent” for a long time amid sexual harassment One tree Hilll Kit
Schwahn has never spoken about any of the allegations, but he was later removed from his role as host of the E! The royals after a group of 25 female members of the show’s cast and crew released a joint letter claiming that Schwan “has a tendency to abuse his power and influence in an environment where he has it over women who think he doesn’t do.”
“This manifested itself in the repeated unwanted sexual harassment of multiple women by the cast and crew,” the letter said.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.