Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer is a fictional character from The WB/CW television series One Tree Hill and one of the female leads, portrayed by Hilarie Burton. A talented visual and musical artist, Peyton has a heavily guarded heart due to the number of lost loved ones in her life and, over the course of the series, she goes through a lot of life-changing events, difficult times and challenges. One of her character’s cores is her everlasting and complicated love story with the main male protagonist, Lucas Scott. She also shares a special bond with Brooke Davis, her best friend since childhood, and becomes close friends with Haley James too.
Wilmington Star described the character as having "blown away every stereotype the media has placed on cheerleaders", while PopMatters referred to her as "a walking contradiction."
Character development Casting Burton was one of the more prominent VJs on MTV for two years, with her looks and other onscreen activities acting as assets. She was the host of her own show, MTV's Hits, helped launch the network's Beach House from the New Jersey shore in May 2002 and was a regular on TRL. Her MTV VJ job allowed her to pursue other media career opportunities, and eventually led to her being cast as Peyton. Burton, who favored acting as a career, auditioned for the part of Ed Harris's daughter in the film Radio. She was encouraged by subsequent callbacks, but did not land the role. The casting department, however, remembered her and asked her to send an audition tape for One Tree Hill, and producers promised her a character that she "could sink her teeth into" – Peyton. "[Burton] is an old soul," said Mark Schwahn, the series' creator. "She's great. She's always just thrilled to do the job, even though she's kind of new to acting. She's just a joy to be around."
Burton said, "I've never studied acting or anything because I've been so lucky with MTV. I'm convinced I got the chance to be on One Tree Hill because I did a guest thing on Dawson's Creek as myself, when the cast appeared at the MTV Beach House." She added, "And my only scene was with Chad Michael Murray (Lucas Scott). So, now The Chad and I are reunited. How bizarre is that?"Burton, 2004, "Me, Myself and Murray." With regard to what her life is like as an actress, Burton said, "Actors like to think their lives are very difficult, but they're not. Yeah, you're running around a lot. But I used to work in a supermarket and in a bar. That was hard. This is fun."
Personality and wardrobe Peyton has been described as beautiful, smart, fiercely independent, and as someone who is often a victim on the series. "My character is a good girl, but she is also kind of [sexually] suggestive. This is definitely not your mom's drama," said Burton.Burton, 2004, "Not your mom's drama." "She's very contradictory. Yes, she is a cheerleader, but she also goes home and listens to punk music. She's into really dark art and probably rips the heads off of Barbie dolls. Basically, she's a train wreck." Burton said the character may be "a train wreck" but that she was "so glad [that someone was] putting a girl like her on TV. You don't have to be one thing. Peyton has made that OK".
Burton said she herself was torn between cheerleading and hobbies which would not necessarily be considered hobbies of a cheerleader while in high school. "That's part of the reason I took the show, because I was like, holy cow, this was me in high school." Burton said there are always stereotypes in high school. "People get put into groups. "You're a jock, you're a cheerleader, you're a freak, you're in the drama department. I had a lot of trouble fitting into those groups when I was in high school because I wanted to be a part of all of them," she said. "I think that's how a lot of people are. Some people have the nerve to go ahead and branch out and be a part of everything and some people don't." She said One Tree Hill represents people who are multidimensional and who like more than one thing. "People do like more than one thing. It's nice that [One Tree Hill] shows that," she stated.
Burton said that portraying a younger age (16 at 21) was not a problem, except for one aspect: "My only concern was when I had to put on my cheerleading uniform again. You forget how nerve-racking that is – the vulnerability of wearing bloomers." She said she reread some of her journals from high school to get "into that place" as a high school student again, and that Peyton being similar to how she was in high school helped. "It also helped that the town where we film, Wilmington, isn't too different from the hometown where I grew up in Virginia. Both [are] small towns where high school sports played a big part," she stated.
Initially, the character was mixed-received: she came off as too angry and bitchy to some viewers. "At first, the audience rejected her character because, well, she was mean to our hero (Lucas)," said Schwann. "And she's pretty and popular." Burton stated, "She was catching a lot of flack. [People were saying], 'Oh, she's this cheerleader. She's like, you know, this cute little girl. She wants to be all hard and angry.'" Schwann decided to soften the character a little, which included having her bond with character Haley James, Lucas's best friend, and she eventually caught on with the audience. "[That was] our challenge, because she [was designed as, and became] the moral center of the show," said Schwahn.
The character's wardrobe originally encompassed a rocker yet feminine look. She would drive around in a vintage car, listening to loud rock, often wearing a Ramones T-shirt. "[Burton] – I just love her. Working with her (has) been wonderful. For her, [Peyton's] more of the do-it-yourself girl. She's so into music, art, she's such a rich character that there are a lot of different things to draw on," stated One Tree Hill's costume designer, Carol Cutshall. "Sometimes she'll just be in a plaid flannel shirt because she's painting. Some days she'll be in a concert T-shirt. We have to find the right concert T-shirt. I do alter them a lot." Cutshall would take a men's concert T-shirt, and have Burton put it on. "She's also very, very slender, so I'll taper them down to her figure. We come out of it with kind of a one-o-f-a-kind rock T-shirt. I take something and then turn it into my own piece of clothing," said Cutshall. Peyton's main brands have been Cheap Monday, Levi's, some Diesel and Miss Sixty.
Schwahn eventually began to change the character's styles, especially in season 4 and up. Burton said, "Peyton's wardrobe has changed quite a bit, which is nice for me, because I am a... In real-life I am [several years older], and was wearing T-shirts and jeans, and Converse sneakers for five years." She said that after some time, it weighed on her femininity. With the four-year timeline jump, Peyton got to wear more skirts and dresses, and shorter ones. "Boobs aren't bigger, but legs are out," said Burton.
Schwahn had Peyton's personality complement Lucas's, and described their love story as a soulmate/meant to be one.From the official TheCWSource YouTube channel: Mark Schwahn talks about why Lucas picked who he did, when he knew this was going to happen and what will happen with the other two ladies. Burton explained her character's attraction to Lucas, saying she sees Peyton as questioning a lot about her life, similar to how Murray envisions Lucas, and thinks Peyton often differs from her friends on what is important – much like Murray has said he felt as a child.
Artwork
Peyton was further designed as an artist, in order to add more depth to the character and express what she cannot or does not want to say. It also complemented her romance with Lucas, as both are deep thinkers who use their skills to speak to the world. The actual artist of Peyton's works is Helen Ward. "Before joining [One Tree Hill], I had already worked as a set designer, storyboard artist and illustrator for a number of films. But I still had to try out for the job," she said. "I think they asked a bunch of people to give their shot at a particular drawing. They were pretty specific about what they were looking for. I guess my work was closest. I got the job."
Ward said that although Burton is a talented actress and has done a great job with the character, she did not feel she had to get to know her in order to proceed with the drawings. "It was the character I was drawing for and I learned what I needed to from the show and the scripts," she stated. In describing the process of drawing for a particular episode, she said she would mostly get input from Robbie Beck, the props master for the show. "Schwahn always knew exactly what he wanted and it would be described in the script. So Robbie would send me the info and I would initially do some quick sketches," stated Ward. All of their communication was via e-mail. "I wish I could say something more exciting, like [Burton] and I would chat about what Peyton would be drawing," stated Ward, "but the only time I ever spoke with her was when they were filming at my house in Wilmington (which oddly enough was Peyton's house on the show.)" Despite this, Ward said she did not mention to Burton that she was the artist behind Peyton's artwork.
For scenes where Peyton is drawing or painting, Ward stated, "...there would likely be very light lines for her to follow. Often I would give a finished version and an unfinished for this purpose. If I remember correctly, it was usually the words that I left undone." Regarding the evolution of Peyton's artwork over the years, she said, "I look back at the first season and think the drawings are awful! I certainly became more comfortable working in her style, but I think her style also evolved to fit mine. Does that make sense?" Ward clarified, "Initially I was trying to do something that just didn't flow well from me. The drawings were too clean. A little forced and not at all the way I liked to work." Ward said that as the show progressed, she began to put more of my own style in them, and became more comfortable and the work got better. In Season 3, the artwork was promoted through the album Friends with Benefit. In Season 6, it is seen in color instead of in black and white, to reflect the character's happiness.
Regarding most people not knowing she is the actual artist of the artwork, Ward stated that although people generally do not concern themselves with the workers behind the scenes, she believes this is how things should be, and that she is appreciative of those who have related to her artwork.
Storylines Overview Peyton Elizabeth is the only child of Larry and Anna Sawyer, she was adopted at birth; the true parentage and other family ties are not discovered until seasons 2, 3, 4, and 6. Peyton's second name in fact, was given to her by her adoptive parents in honor of her biological mother: Elizabeth "Ellie" Harp.
Her biological father's name is Mick Wolf, and Peyton also has a biological half-brother by him, named: Derek Sommers. When Peyton is 8, her adoptive mother (at the time known to her as her birth mother), Anna Sawyer, dies by running a red light on her way to pick her up from school. She soon forges a powerful friendship with Brooke Davis, who comforts her over Anna's death, and they become best friends.
As the show begins, Peyton's boyfriend is Nathan Scott. She soon breaks up with him and falls in love with Nathan's rival and half-brother, Lucas Scott. Peyton drives a 1963 Mercury Comet convertible, which becomes a major plot point as it is because of it that she first speaks to Lucas: from that moment, her car will become a central theme in their love story.
Early seasons