Ashley Rickards lit up Tree Hill last season as Sam Walker, the runaway foster child. While there's no news about her returning this season on One Tree Hill, we're very hopeful! We caught up with Ashley to dish about what it was like being so young on set and what her favorite part of playing Sam was. Read on for deets!
How would you say you're like and unlike your character Sam?
I'm like Sam as in I don’t really care what people think of me. But I'm not like Sam with the fact that I have a family.
How do you feel about the departure of Chad Michael Murray?
He's such a good actor. I hope he does really well in movies and stuff. I wish him all the best. I will miss him on the show.
Do you think it's going to change the show a lot?
No. I think that there will be different story lines but I don’t think the show will be any better or worse without him. I mean, we'll definitely miss him and there be a huge, huge fan base that'll just really love to have Chad back but, who knows, maybe he'll come back for like an episode just to appease us all.
Were you a fan of the show before you joined the cast?
I actually hadn’t watched it before. And then when I got it, I started watching all the DVDs and I quickly became a fan. It's very addicting and I just started watching it from season one all the way up to season six when I was on it and it's really good! So I was a fan after I booked it.
What shows were you a fan of before you were cast on the show?
I watched The Tudors and The United States of Tara. I watch American Idol; I'm a huge Adam Lambert fan. Other than that, I kind of watch the news, like CNN and stuff.
So what do you think of your character going back to live with her mom?
I'm happy for her. That's every foster kid's dream, to find their real family and she had a great family with Brooke, but there is always going to be that part of her that just wants her actual mother to be a mother figure and to give her that chance, no matter how much she resents her for leaving her. She's always going to have a soft spot and she's never going to be able to say no to that. So I hope it works out. I hope she's happy.
What's been your favorite part of playing Sam?
The clothes and stuff aren't stuff that I would normally wear, so it's been really fun to dress up and play somebody else for a change. That's really cool.
What's your personal style like?
I go between preppy and I wear a lot of hippie dresses. I guess preppy slash hippie would be my style.
You stole some stuff out of Brooke's store on the show. Which celeb's closet would you love to raid?
Kim Kardashian has been dressing really well. But I want to raid Fergie's closet 'cause I saw her closet in a magazine and it looked pretty incredible.
What's it like being one of the younger members of the cast?
Oh, it's a lot of fun. I actually would hang out with Kelsey Chow, she plays Gigi on the show, and she's 17 too, so we would hang out. It was just good to be with older people because generally I tend to gravitate towards the older mature people and it was just good to be around those people. And I learned a lot from them because they're older and wiser, as you say.
Growing up, what were some of your favorite movies that depicted high school?
My favorite movie, and I don’t know if it took place in high school, was Muriel's Wedding with Toni Collette. That was a while back but it was a great movie. And high school movies? Superbad was awesome.
What would you love for Sam to do in high school on the show?
I'd love to see Sam go to prom. I think that'd be a really interesting episode if that ever happens.
Who do you think she'd go with?
I think she'd go with Jack.
What kind of dress would she wear?
Black. Something edgy, something very very dark and edgy.
How would you say you're like and unlike your character Sam?
I'm like Sam as in I don’t really care what people think of me. But I'm not like Sam with the fact that I have a family.
How do you feel about the departure of Chad Michael Murray?
He's such a good actor. I hope he does really well in movies and stuff. I wish him all the best. I will miss him on the show.
Do you think it's going to change the show a lot?
No. I think that there will be different story lines but I don’t think the show will be any better or worse without him. I mean, we'll definitely miss him and there be a huge, huge fan base that'll just really love to have Chad back but, who knows, maybe he'll come back for like an episode just to appease us all.
Were you a fan of the show before you joined the cast?
I actually hadn’t watched it before. And then when I got it, I started watching all the DVDs and I quickly became a fan. It's very addicting and I just started watching it from season one all the way up to season six when I was on it and it's really good! So I was a fan after I booked it.
What shows were you a fan of before you were cast on the show?
I watched The Tudors and The United States of Tara. I watch American Idol; I'm a huge Adam Lambert fan. Other than that, I kind of watch the news, like CNN and stuff.
So what do you think of your character going back to live with her mom?
I'm happy for her. That's every foster kid's dream, to find their real family and she had a great family with Brooke, but there is always going to be that part of her that just wants her actual mother to be a mother figure and to give her that chance, no matter how much she resents her for leaving her. She's always going to have a soft spot and she's never going to be able to say no to that. So I hope it works out. I hope she's happy.
What's been your favorite part of playing Sam?
The clothes and stuff aren't stuff that I would normally wear, so it's been really fun to dress up and play somebody else for a change. That's really cool.
What's your personal style like?
I go between preppy and I wear a lot of hippie dresses. I guess preppy slash hippie would be my style.
You stole some stuff out of Brooke's store on the show. Which celeb's closet would you love to raid?
Kim Kardashian has been dressing really well. But I want to raid Fergie's closet 'cause I saw her closet in a magazine and it looked pretty incredible.
What's it like being one of the younger members of the cast?
Oh, it's a lot of fun. I actually would hang out with Kelsey Chow, she plays Gigi on the show, and she's 17 too, so we would hang out. It was just good to be with older people because generally I tend to gravitate towards the older mature people and it was just good to be around those people. And I learned a lot from them because they're older and wiser, as you say.
Growing up, what were some of your favorite movies that depicted high school?
My favorite movie, and I don’t know if it took place in high school, was Muriel's Wedding with Toni Collette. That was a while back but it was a great movie. And high school movies? Superbad was awesome.
What would you love for Sam to do in high school on the show?
I'd love to see Sam go to prom. I think that'd be a really interesting episode if that ever happens.
Who do you think she'd go with?
I think she'd go with Jack.
What kind of dress would she wear?
Black. Something edgy, something very very dark and edgy.
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