411mania Interviews One Tree Hill Creator and Executive Producer Mark Schwahn

Mark Schwahn had already written several feature films (Coach Carter, The Perfect Score) when he created One Tree Hill back in 2003. 120+ episodes later the show has just been picked up by The CW for a 7th season. Schwahn continues to work as executive producer (as well as writing and directing) on the series, which has the kind of loyal and passionate fan base most shows would kill for.

Al Norton: So you were turned away from the US Air flight that ended up making the emergency landing in the Hudson River? How close were you to being on the plane? Where were you when you heard what had happened?

Mark Schwahn: I was essentially on standby. I was in NYC flying direct to Wilmington, but my flight was delayed so I ran to that US Air flight which was bound for Charlotte. I waited on standby but was turned away when the flight was full. So instead of waiting for my original flight, I decided to fly back to LA, but I had to take a taxi from LaGuardia to JFK. When I got to JFK, our production coordinator Kelly Tenney called me and told me what had happened. I think if people had been seriously or mortally injured it would have screwed me up, but instead I simply felt blessed and guided by angels. And of course, I took stock of the good things and people in my life – of which I have many.

Al Norton: This first half of the season seemed in some ways very much about violence and death - what Lucas might call "the things that darken our souls" - and I wondered how you came to the idea of contrasting the random, tragic violence of Q's shooting, the brutal attack on Brooke, and the more over-the-top, "Fatal Attraction meets Misery" reign of terror by Nanny Carrie.

Mark Schwahn: Sometimes coming to those ideas is a process of erosion. By that I mean that you become compelled by a certain scene or moment or theme and then you live with it and mold the clay of the idea and try to project what it will all look and feel like in its finished form. I felt that many of our characters could benefit from these startling situations. The Nanny Carrie storyline was originally a joke pitch in the writers' room by Mike Daniels. But it stayed with me and as we approached Season Five, I pitched it back to the room as a viable storyline and we were all into it. Quentin's death depressed me for a couple weeks. I knew I was going to miss Quentin – and my good friend Robbie Jones. Just as the loss of the character is irreversible to the fictional characters in Tree Hill, the story arc becomes irreversible, as well. So I try to use those feelings and emotions and give them to the characters. Because we have such a large ensemble, we tend to be a bit cyclical with our storylines. Meaning some characters are written heavier than others for a stretch, and then we transition to the next character's story. It was time for Sophia Bush to take Brooke to some heavier, darker places. And of course, as a writer, you're thankful for the talents and fearlessness of the actors when they go to those places for you.