One of the most beloved teen dramas, One Tree Hill sometimes has two different tones, as it can be a typical young adult show with break-ups, friendship arguments, and other conflicts. But other times, the show gets a bit wild and intense and even supernatural.
One Tree Hill is famous for its moving scenes and beautiful music, and also for its characters, who cherish each other's friendships and do their best to grow up, chase their dreams, and find love. If One Tree Hill was made today with a new cast, who would be right for each character?
Marvin "Mouth" McFadden: Miles Teller
Mouth began as a more of a minor character and later on during the show, he was developed much more, dating Millie and dreaming of becoming a sports anchor.
Lee Norris was perfect as Mouth, and if the show was recast today, Miles Teller would be a great actor to play this part. Teller was in the sweet and dramatic movie The Spectacular Now and his character was just as sensitive as Mouth is, so this would be a good fit.
Dan Scott: James Marsden
One Tree Hill has many sad and emotional scenes, along with some wild ones that are still pretty hard to believe. Lucas and Nathan's father Dan is known for being evil and is probably the most hated character on the teen drama. He was part of one of the most intense moments from the whole show: he was going to get a heart transplant and a dog ate the heart.
Paul Johansson played this role, and James Marsden could also take it on today. One of his most recent roles is playing Ben on Dead To Me and his character is a little dark and mysterious, which is exactly the vibe that Dan has.
Antwon "Skills" Taylor: Michael B. Jordan
Antwon Tanner did an amazing job portraying Skills on One Tree Hill, Lucas and Mouth's friend. At first, he was mostly seen at the River court with them, as they loved playing basketball there, but then he began getting his own storylines.
Michael B. Jordan could also take on this role, as he has proven on dramas like Parenthood and Friday Night Lights that he has an impressive emotional range.
Quinn James: Keiko Agena
Lane shares sweet friendship moments with Rory on Gilmore Girls, and the actress who portrayed her, Keiko Agena, would be a good choice when recasting Haley's older sister Quinn on One Tree Hill.
Quinn is a photographer who is a dreamer and a kind soul. She has a calm nature and just wants to help people, and when she and Clay fall in love, it's very moving to watch.
Julian Baker: Henry Golding
While Brooke fought with her best friend Peyton over Lucas, she was able to accept that they belonged together and she and Peyton salvaged their friendship. When Brooke met filmmaker Julian, her whole life changed forever and she realized that she had been waiting for him. Julian has a sensitive soul and big dreams, and he's an inspiring character.
Henry Golding is beloved as Nick in Crazy Rich Asians and he would work well as Brooke's main love interest Julian on One Tree Hill. Golding is perfect when playing characters who are sensitive and romantic.
Haley James Scott: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Nathan and Haley's love story happened across many episodes of One Tree Hill, and they worked well because they came from opposite social circles and found their way to each other.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan impressed TV audiences as Devi on the Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever, and it would be great to see her on another young adult show. While Devi is a funny character, she's also very perceptive, and it would be interesting to see Ramakrishnan play a sweet character like Haley who is smart, has a good sense of humor, and who also gets very emotional at times.
Nathan Scott: Chace Crawford
James Lafferty played Lucas's brother and Haley's partner Nathan, and while he comes from a wealthy and privileged background, he's a nice person who takes friendship, family, and love seriously.
Chace Crawford is known for playing Nate on Gossip Girl, who is also a fairly sweet character, although of course he makes mistakes like every other young adult. He could take on the role of Nathan if the teen drama was re-cast today, as he is used to playing a character who experiences a lot of family drama and tension.
Peyton Sawyer: Jurnee Smollett
Peyton is known for being a smart, creative teenager who dreams of leaving Tree Hill. She dresses to show her personality and much of her time on the show is spent pining after Lucas, having an on-again and off-again relationship and then, finally, being together and making a life together.
Hilarie Burton is beloved for this role and Jurnee Smollett, who has had many TV roles on shows like Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, would be perfect here. Smollett excels at portraying rich, layered characters who are strong and independent and believe in themselves, and that's Peyton.
Brooke Davis: Ashley Park
Sophia Bush became famous for portraying Brooke on One Tree Hill and Ashley Park, who fans of Emily In Paris will recognize for playing the part of Mindy, is a good choice if the show was recast today.
Both Brooke and Mindy are interesting best friend characters who have tough pasts, family tension, and the desire to figure out who they are today on their own terms, so it would be awesome to see Park take on this role.
Lucas Scott: Zach Gilford
Lucas isn't perfect but he's also a fairly compelling main character. Fans are introduced to him right away as a sweet, smart teenager who has been raised by a single parent and who doesn't know his dad, who is a wealthy man in town.
This is definitely Chad Michael Murray's best known role, perhaps besides playing Tristan on Gilmore Girls, and Zach Gilford, who excelled at playing kind and gentle teenager Matt Sacaren on Friday Night Lights, would do well here too. Both characters are athletes who have a gentle nature.