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Projects > One Tree Hill > Season Seven > CW Source Interview October 2009

His role of Nathan Scott on the CW hit drama ‘One Tree Hill’ has allowed actor James Lafferty to challenge himself in a variety of ways. He has gone from playing a troubled high-school basketball player to a husband, father, and professional athlete. Yet as Lafferty recently discussed with me, his latest challenge of sitting behind the director’s chair was a role he never expected to have, but one is thrilled he did. I recently caught up with the 24-year-old actor where he shared with me how his experiences as a director differ from his experiences as an actor, and how he is truly enjoying the newly reinvented ‘One Tree Hill’.

How is filming going this season?
Filming is going great. Everybody’s been really happy with the material this season, more than any other season. It’s all larger in scope, nothing like we’ve ever had before. We’re just really happy with everything we have this season.

What has it been like working with the new cast members that have joined you guys this season? You work a lot with Rob Buckley and Shantel VanSanten.
It’s great. They’re a great team there. They’re really, really well prepared. This opportunity means a lot to them and it means a lot to us that everybody’s taking it seriously. They’re just doing a really great job and they’re a lot of fun to work with.

Your character and Rob Buckley’s character play close friends, you seem to have really great chemistry with one another on-screen. Is that something that is translating from off-screen?
Yeah, Rob’s a great guy. You know that whole dynamic has been something that we sort of were lacking in the past, and it works really well now. It’s a lot of fun to come to set and work with people that are ready to form some chemistry.

You directed episode seven this season, and you directed an episode last season, was directing something you’ve always had an interest in?
I actually didn’t always have an interest. I was kind of content until last season with my role as an actor on the show and leading a sort of low-key lifestyle. It was actually kind of a frightening prospect because you see directors come into town fresh-faced and ready to go and then leave town wore-down and tired. Then I thought to myself last season that I’d probably kick myself if I left this show and never took the opportunity to direct while I had such a great network of support, such a great family there with ‘One Tree Hill’. So I took the opportunity and it’s turned out really well.

How does the whole directing process work, do you get to choose the episode you direct?
They have a list of directors for the season and you’re just randomly assigned to a script. This season I was lucky enough to direct one of Mark Schwahn’s episode’s, which was a really great script.

What can you tell the fans about the episode you directed this season?
It was an exciting episode to direct because it was Mark’s episode and his episode’s are always larger in scope and a little more ambitious than the rest. This is actually the episode where a few of the story lines culminate. Basically what I got the chance to do is wrap up a couple story lines, and try to do it in the best way possible, try to bring it off the page as well as I could because it’s Mark’s episode and it’s important. There’s going to be some exciting stuff going on.

Can you say whether anything concerning the plot line of Renee, Nathan, and Haley will happen in your episode? It’s definitely causing some buzz among the fans.
All I can say is if the fans are intrigued by that storyline then they should definitely be tuning in for the next few episodes because they’re gonna get some closure where that’s concerned.

What is it like for you to direct and act in the same episode? Do you find that difficult at all?
That’s actually the most difficult aspect of directing for me; to try to be in the episode. Because as an actor, personally I’m completely in a different head-space than I am when I’m trying to direct. When I come on set, I know my lines and what I’m doing in the scene and what I try to stay focused on that. Where as when you’re directing, you’re trying to be aware of any number of things at once, so trying to find a happy medium between the two is difficult for me.

How does it differ when you yourself have to be in the scene?
When you’re acting in a scene, you can’t really micro-manage. You have to rely on other sets of eyes, your executive producers, your script supervisors and others to make sure things not only look right but are communicating right.

Was there a difference between directing your co-stars who you’ve been with for six years, like Joy(Galeotti) and Sophia(Bush), and directing your new co-stars?
Not really, you know I try to implement a free-flowing and creative space when I direct. I try to make it as collaborative and comfortable as possible for them, whether it’s someone I’ve been working with for six years or someone I just met.

How much preparation do you do before day one of directing?
You get days eight days to prep. We shoot eight days an episode, and while the sixth episode of the season was being shot, I was prepping to direct the seventh.

Anything else you would like to say to the fans about the episode your directed?
Just that it’s definitely not one to miss. It’s a big one!

You can catch Lafferty as a director and his not-to-miss episode of ‘One Tree Hill’ on Monday Oct. 26 at 8 P.M. on the CW network. And we are certainly excited!

Source: Examiner.com & One Tree Hill Blog