Maria Menounos recently guested on the Drama Queens podcast and discussed the hit series with her former castmates! Here are some of our favorite highlights!
It’s been a long time since One Tree Hill premiered on the former WB network in 2003. Since then, the show’s iconic trio of female characters, Peyton, Brooke, and Hayley (played by Hilarie Burton-Morgan, Sophia Bush, and Bethany Joy Lenz) have been rewatching the show over the past few months, and documenting their reactions on their Drama Queens podcast, and occasionally featuring other actors from the show.
Afterbuzz TV’s very own Maria Menounos joined the cast in season two as Jules, a mysterious woman who falls for main character Lucas’ Uncle Keith; or, so he thinks. Recently, Maria had the opportunity to catch up with her former castmates on on the podcast and we’re sharing the highlights.
Hilarie met Maria before One Tree Hill
Before she became the rebellious cheerleader of Tree Hill High, Burton-Morgan worked as a VJ on MTV’s “Total Request Live,” where Maria had stopped by for “ET on MTV” during her time hosting on Entertainment Tonight. Burton-Morgan recalled, “I remember meeting you in the hallway right outside the green room and thinking ‘oh my god, she’s sooo pretty.”
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One Tree Hill was Maria’s First Recurring TV Acting Role
Maria’s diverse career spans across multiple types of roles, but she initially began as a journalist. Prior to One Tree Hill, she made appearances in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Without a Trace, and One on One. Her attorney at the time also repped showrunner Mark Schwann, which led to her audition. She was initially only written into one episode, but the role gradually grew to make her character a mainstay for ten episodes. Sophia Bush described Maria’s performance as Jules: “There’s a scene in this episode, and you’re so cute ribbing Craig when he calls you with this total B.S survey excuse. When you’re sitting in that cute purple t-shirt on the phone you’re throwing out such charming, Alicia Silverstone vibes. It’s such an iconic energy of an era and you tapped into it so beautifully.”
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Where Would Jules Be Now?
Unfortunately, the stars did not align for the TV couple, which gradually led to Keith’s death. Family drama aside, Maria thinks they’d still be together had things gone differently. “A lot of people hated me for breaking Keith’s heart–I hate me for breaking Keith’s heart. I would like to think that we made it work somehow and lived happily ever after and had little Keiths.”
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Husband and AfterBuzz Co-Founder Keven Undergaro Was There For the Journey
Keven visited the iconic set down in Wilmington, NC throughout filming. Sophia Bush described meeting him: “He was walking around with you and holding the dogs and just beaming watching you. He’d look at you and say ‘god she’s so good at everything.’ He was just so proud of you. It set such an example of what I wouldn’t tolerate less than in my relationships as I became an adult.”
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What a great reunion to start 2022 with!
