Chad Michael Murray stood up for Hilarie Burton after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by their boss.
How Chad Michael Murray stood up for One Tree Hill co-star Hilarie Burton
The 41-year-old actor starred alongside Hilarie, 40, on 'One Tree Hill' and she recalled a time when an executive on the show "grabbed her" in front of others, which caused him to step in and take charge of the situation.
Speaking on the 'Drama Queens' podcast, she told Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz: "Chad walked up and goes, 'What are you doing?' He said that to our boss in the bar. He watched our boss grab me in front of a lot of people, and you know, Chad didn't have anything to lose because he knew our boss hated him anyway.
"A lot of people had a lot to lose, so you don't speak up when you have a lot to lose. But [our boss] felt so comfortable that that was not something that he had a problem with. [He thought], 'I can do whatever I want to her in public with her boyfriend standing there."
Meanwhile, Sophia - who was married to the 'A Cinderella Story' actor from 2005 until 2006 - noted that her ex-husband was "protected" at the show because he was first on the call-sheet and therefore seen as a priority as she expressed sympathy for those working on a set who are worried about the business when trying to speak out.
She said: "I have sympathy for the reality that people are scared they're going to put a hole in the ship and then the ship is going to sink, but get over it and protect your people. Because this idea that looking at the ground is OK — it's not. And thank God, Hilarie, that you had that moment with Chad, who was already so at odds with our boss."
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