Ready? OK, here’s everything Shantel told us:
On Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton:
“[Chad] comes back for an episode, and I actually get to work with him. I think it’ll be cool because then I’ll get to say I’ve worked with almost everybody, with Tyler [Hilton] coming back and a bunch of other people. Except Hilarie [Burton], I don’t think Hilarie will be coming back.”
On what fans can expect from season nine:
“A lot of mystery and a lot of drama! But I hope [it ends happily.] That’s obviously an ultimate dream of mine, but you never know with Mark [Schwahn]. I think everybody has a lot of drama and a lot of stuff going on in their lives. I’m so involved in everybody’s story lines, not like in other years. … It’s been interesting.”
On the secrecy surrounding the season’s biggest story lines:
“They’re not telling us anything this year. I find things out episode by episode when I get the script, which is really cool because it’s like a mystery novel. It makes me anticipate the scripts even more. I feel like Mark’s giving it everything and the fans are not going to be disappointed.”
On the set’s vibe, while filming the final season:
“It’s like coming back after Christmas break senior year. Everybody’s happy and excited, and just grateful to be finishing it off like this.”
On Brooke and Julian’s twins:
“They’re so cute! There are so many kids on set. We’re all going to be awesome parents after this season, because we all have to work with babies.”
— Reporting by Katrina Mitzeliotis, written by Andy Swift
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