Fun
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Intense
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Choked Up
Curious
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Weird
People say that life imitates art, and for Sophia Bush that couldn’t be more true. Bush, who turns 33 today, got her big break playing Brooke Davis on the hit teen drama One Tree Hill, which ran for nine seasons from 2003-2012.
Brooke began as a seemingly shallow cheerleader and turned into into a confident, smart, and successful businesswoman, and I would venture to say that she had one of the best character arcs out of any teen show. Her sassy quips, loving lines, and total badass moments are why fans instantly fell in love with both the character and Bush herself, who brought a vulnerability and naiveté to a character that could have easily been labeled as a stupid cheerleader.
Bush began much like Davis did; she was a sorority girl at USC where she attended school for three years before booking One Tree Hill. Just like her character, Bush grew up during her time in Tree Hill. She even found love with her character’s sometimes boyfriend, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) — the two dated both on the show and in real life and were even married for a bit in 2005.
As Bush grew up, Brooke Davis did, too. Brooke started her own fashion line in high school, turned it into a multi-million dollar company in her early twenties, fought hard for her friends and family, became fiercely opinionated, and worked hard to rid herself of the cheerleader stereotype. One of Brooke’s most notable lines came in the show’s ninth season when she said, “I used to be a bit of a bitch just for the sake of being one, but now I am a bitch for the sake of my friends and family.” This is a testament to the character who fought for what she believed in and wasn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers doing so.
In real life, Bush seems much like the Brooke Davis of the later seasons. She fights passionately for causes she cares about, is compassionate enough to reach out to fans on social media, and expresses so much positivity about her life. She builds schools in Africa, has a friend group that rivals that of Taylor Swift’s, is an adventurer of places near and far, and is always there for a word of encouragement on Twitter and Instagram where she has over one million followers on each platform.
While Bush has expressed nothing but gratitude and appreciation for her success in life, she has always been clear that she wants to be an activist first and an actress second. “I love my job, but I couldn’t keep doing this if it ever actually precluded me from working on the world. I would just get another job,” Bush told BuzzFeed last year.
This sense of wanting to help and wanting to do more bleeds into her latest role of Detective Erin Lindsay on NBC’s Chicago P.D., which will start its third season in the fall. Lindsay is a hard-around-the-edges cop who struggled with drug addiction as a teenager. OK, so maybe their stories aren’t all that similar, but Bush fights for justice and rights for everybody in real life just like Lindsay does on Chicago P.D.
Whether she’s playing a perky cheerleader, a tough cop, or is simply being herself, Bush is a shining example of a Hollywood star who is making her own rules and spreading positivity everywhere she goes. Happy Birthday Sophia, may you continue to kick ass, take names, and be awesome in your 33rd year!
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Photos: Everett Collection
