The Cast Of One Tree Hill What They Looked Like The First Episode Vs. Now

One Tree Hill holds a special place in our hearts, thanks to its heartwarming stories about friendship, family, first love, and of course, all of the drama and love triangles. From Peyton to Brooke to Haley to Lucas to Nathan, all of the characters are super well-drawn and have stayed in our minds and hearts ever since the first episode premiered in September 2003. Teen dramas are a special, unique kind of show since we probably watched them at a time when we really needed them (aka when we were in high school ourselves or maybe college). We were still growing up ourselves, and so when we watched stories about coming-of-age issues or situations, it was easy to relate.

Since 2003 was a long time ago, it's always fun to look back and see what the actors looked like back then, and compare those photos to how they look today. Everyone from the One Tree Hill cast has done really well for themselves and is still enjoying lots of career success. Of course, any of us that are big fans of the show knew that would happen, so it's not a surprise. Check out the cast of One Tree Hill: what they looked like at the beginning of the show versus now!

15 Hilarie Burton, Peyton Sawyer: The Girl With The Red Bedroom

When One Tree Hill premiered, Peyton Sawyer lived in a red bedroom and posted video blogs. She was smart, edgy, and cool, and had some pretty dark storylines at times since she was your typical angsty teenager. She was also in love with Lucas Scott (but then again, everyone was).

Hilarie Burton wasn't super well-known before she took on the role of Peyton, so it's safe to say that this part put her on the acting map. Before that, she was a host on TRL, but Peyton was her big break. Today, she's still acting, and she's also in a serious relationship with actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (yup, the ghost Denny from Grey's Anatomy). The couple has a kid and she's pregnant with their second child. Awwww.

14 Chad Michael Murray, Lucas Scott: Everyone's Crush

When the show started, Lucas Scott was the forgotten son of Dan Scott, living with his mom Karen and hanging out with his BFF Haley James. This was a big role for Chad Micheal Murray, who looks super adorable and sweet in this grey hoodie in the photo on the left.

The actor also had roles on Gilmore Girls (Tristan, of course) and Dawson's Creek around the time that this show started. He got a lot of press for being so good-looking as well. Today, he's still acting, and still attractive, although of course he does look older in the photo on the right. Most recently, he was the star of a show called Sun Records, and he's been in a few movies as well.

13 Sophia Bush, Brooke Davis: Boy Crazy Turned Fashion Designer

Who didn't love Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill?! Sophia Bush played her with such humor and heart and honestly brought the character to life in the best way ever.

We knew that Brooke's boy crazy nature was simply because she was looking for love since her mom totally ignored her (and her dad wasn't around, either). While that would typically be a "poor little rich girl" cliche situation, Brooke was such a fun, unique character that she broke the mold. As fans know, she was briefly married to her co-star Chad Michael Murray. Today, Sophia Bush still looks beautiful, and honestly looks exactly the same, right?! She recently starred on the TV show Chicago P.D. for several years and is also known for her social and political activism.

12 James Lafferty, Nathan Scott: The Golden Son/Brother

Nathan Scott could have been the biggest jerk ever. After all, he truly had it all: pretty girlfriend Peyton, a starring role on his high school basketball team, and the seemingly perfect family. He would be easy to hate… except he was played by James Lafferty, an actor who brought heart to the part and made Nathan truly easy to adore.

Of course, we all love Nathan because he and Haley fell in love, and were the most unconventional couple and yet the best one ever. James looks super adorable in the photo on the left that was taken at the beginning of the series, and he still looks amazing in the photo on the right which was taken more recently. He looks the same, just a bit older, and we love the scruff on his face.

11 Bethany Joy Lenz, Hayley James: The Good Girl And Best Friend

Haley was best friends with Lucas and when she tutored Nathan, the two of them fell madly and deeply in love. She was a shy bookworm and great friend and we probably all wished that we were her… or that we could at least be friends with her.

Bethany Joy Lenz looks so young and beautiful in the photo on the left, wearing Haley's cheerleading costume. She looks older in the photo on the right since of course she is -- she's 36 years old now and would have been 21 when the show started 15 years ago -- but of course looks amazing. Bethany's also a super talented singer and was part of the band Everly for a while. She continues to make music and act today.

10 Paul Johansson, Dan Scott: The Evil Father

Oh, Dan Scott. That name probably puts fear in the hearts of One Tree Hill fans. Paul Johansson played Lucas and Nathan's father with a real spark and it's safe to say that fans truly hated this character. He was your typical father who was way too demanding about his son's sports career… until he ended the life of his brother, Keith, and then all bets were off. Suddenly every fan loathed him and that was that. He wasn't going to win their hearts again.

Paul Johansson has longer hair today and a bit more scruff on his face. He's still acting in both television shows and movies, and recently also became a director. He directed 14 episodes of One Tree Hill along with the movie Atlas Shrugged: Part 1. Pretty cool, huh?!

9 Lee Norris, Marvin "Mouth" McFadden: Adorable Sports Geek

Awwww. Our hearts just melt when we think about Mouth McFadden. People might treat him like a geek but we always loved him and thought that he was so smart and so cool. He's been good friends with Lucas since they were kids, and he's always been super into sports.

When the show ends, he's still madly in love with Millie, and they're both the hosts of a morning show. It's absolutely perfect and just what fans wanted. Lee Norris does an awesome job portraying Mouth. He was also famous when he was Stuart Minkus on Boy Meets World, so he's got two big roles and two big TV shows under his belt. Today, he looks the same as he did when he played Mouth, although a bit older and more mature. And with a bit more scruff on his face, like a lot of the guys in the cast.

8 Antwon Tanner, Antwon "Skills" Taylor: A Funny Friend

Skills is a hilarious character on the show and plays basketball with Lucas on the river court (which is one of the most famous settings on the show, of course). He thinks of himself as a ladies man for sure and even dates Deb Scott, aka Nathan's mom. Yup, talk about awkward.

A lot of his storylines revolve around who he's dating, and it's always really funny and entertaining. You root for him and want him to meet someone. He's just a staple of the friend group on the show. He has more facial hair today than he did on the show, but like the rest of the cast still looks pretty much exactly the same. After the show ended, he appeared in a few different movies.

7 Austin Nichols, Julian Baker: Brooke's One True Love

It sucks to watch Brooke get her heart broken time and time again. That's why it's so awesome when filmmaker Julian Baker moves to Tree Hill and he and Brooke totally fall for each other. They are honestly the best couple on the show. Well, besides Peyton and Lucas. And Haley and Nathan. And Mouth and Millicent. Okay, so every couple is cute. There's a lot of love on this show for sure.

Austin Nichols has the same boyish good looks complete with charm, facial hair and wavy locks that he did back when he starred on the show. He looks even better now, really, since he's got a bit more of a rugged quality to him. Recently, he got a role on The Walking Dead, which is super cool.

6 Moira Kelly, Karen Roe: Lucas's Sweet Mom

When the show starts, Lucas and his single mom Karen have a good thing going, and with regular visits from his best friend Haley, it seems like their small family is pretty perfect. Of course, nothing is happy and perfect for long on a drama, especially a teen drama. And Lucas soon becomes wrapped up in his dad, Dan Scott, and learns more about his brother, Nathan.

Moira Kelly looks awesome in both of these photos and these days, she's got even more of a beautiful elegance going on. She's very chic and lovely. Before the show, she starred on The West Wing for a season and was also one of the Twin Peaks movies. In recent years, she's appeared in a few TV movies but is focusing on her family.

5 Robert Buckley, Clay Evans: Nathan's Adorable Agent And Friend

When Robert Buckley started playing Clay Evans, he looked super hot and adorable at the same time. Today, he looks… super hot and adorable at the same time. So nothing has changed, really, and we wouldn't have it any other way. It's impossible not to be a big fan of this guy.

Yup, we can say with great authority that this is a good-looking dude. Robert Buckley has also appeared on shows like Lipstick Jungle and most recently on iZombie. Clay plays Nathan's agent who becomes a really good friend, and he also falls in love with Haley's sister, Quinn. He only comes along in the last few years of the show and yet he becomes a really special, important character. It would be impossible to imagine One Tree Hill without him.

4 Lisa Goldstein, Millicent Huxtable: Mouth And Millicent Forever

When Millicent starts working for Brooke at her store, she's dorky yet super sweet. We just know that she's beautiful, though, and that she's got a lot more personality than her shy nature might suggest. Eventually, she comes out of her shell and starts dating Mouth, making them yet another cute couple on the show. Okay, so basically every couple on this show was great, and we can't pick a favorite.

Lisa Goldstein looks very similar now to the way that she did on the show. She might look a bit different in the photo on the right just because she isn't wearing glasses like her character did, but we can definitely tell that it's the same actress. She doesn't act anymore and is a married mom of one.

3 Shantel VanSanten, Quinn James: Haley's Photographer Sister

Haley's sister Quinn is beautiful, a talented photographer, and one-half of another super cute couple with Clay Evans. She and Clay had the craziest storyline ever… which is seriously saying something for this show, which blended both drama and campy thrills at various times throughout the series.

Clay and Quinn are definitely in love and it's nice to watch their relationship evolve. Clay and Quinn are injured by a stalker who is a ringer for Clay's wife, Sara, who sadly passed away. It takes a while for them to get back to normal but they thankfully end up getting married. Shantel VanSanten looks a bit different than she did on the show but of course still looks awesome and really cool. We love her piecey blond hair. She's still acting in both TV shows and movies.

2 Stephen Colletti, Chase Adams: From Laguna Beach To One Tree Hill

If this guy looked familiar when he first appeared on One Tree Hill, it was because he was, of course, on Laguna Beach. His role as Chase Adams on One Tree Hill was a good one for him since it allowed him to be both charming and sweet. He played a "clean teen" who was saving himself for marriage and was just a really good guy. At first, he was really into Brooke and that was interesting for her since he was so decent and different from a lot of guys that she was dating.

His role evolved as the series went on and he became involved with Mia, a singer who popped in from time to time. Stephen Colletti definitely looks all grown up now, and we're loving his scruffy beard. Since the show ended, he's acted in a few movies.

1 Jana Kramer, Alex Dupre: The Actress

When Alex comes onto the scene, she's an actress and model that becomes the face of Brooke's clothing line. Of course, she's beautiful and stirs up a lot of trouble, and is known for having a massive thing for Brooke's one true love, Julian. Fans definitely weren't thrilled about that.

She's definitely a very charming character, though, and so it's impossible to completely hate her. It's complicated and confusing for sure. Jana Kramer looks great in both photos and basically looks exactly the same today, so it honestly looks like no time has passed at all. She's an actress but mostly a singer, and was also on season 23 of Dancing With The Stars. Now, who wants to rewatch the entire One Tree Hill series from the beginning?!