Hilarie Burton OF ‘THE CHRISTMAS CONTRACT’ AND ‘TIS THE SEASON: A ONE TREE HILL CAST REUNION’ ON LIFETIME
“The Christmas Contract” also features fellow “One Tree Hill” veterans Robert Buckley, Daneel Ackles, Antwon Tanner and Tyler Hilton. How was the experience for you?
Rob and I specifically had been pushing for a reunion for about five years, so it was great that everything came together. A lot of the time, these films shoot in Canada – and given the Canadian tax incentives, there are restrictions on how many American actors you can have. And because we shot with a (producer) friend in Louisiana we were able to bypass those rules and invite all the friends we wanted! You’ve done holiday movies before, so is it safe to say you enjoy the genre? The thing that I really like about these jobs is that they shoot over three weeks. You make a whole movie in 15 days, but what’s very difficult about these projects is ... you do the whole thing in 15 days. In order to create chemistry with people, these lifelong friendships or romances that you’re putting up on the screen, it really helps to have your real friends on the job with you. It kind of takes the pressure off.
“The Christmas Contract” is followed immediately by you and many of your costars in the special “’Tis the Season: A One Tree Hill Cast Reunion.” Was getting back together for that also fun for you?
You know what? Rob (Buckley) and I never actually worked together on “One Tree Hill.” He showed up as I was leaving, and the very first time I ever spoke with him, Daneel was working on the show – and I was off pregnant with my first child, and she called me and said, “Oh, I’m hanging out with this kid (Buckley). You two would be best friends if you knew each other.”
I laughed and said, “OK. Whatever.” And she put him on the phone, and I ended up having a halfhour conversation with this stranger, thinking, “Oh, he’s quick-witted. What a fun fellow.” Then we met years later at a “One Tree Hill” convention in Paris, and he’s incredible ...a fun person to spar with.