Sophia Bush

Sophia Bush is a firm favourite here at Portrait - gorgeous, talented, and hilarious as the much loved Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill - so it’s not hard to see why everyone adores her! But there’s more to Sophia than just her looks and talent, reasons that make us love her that much more and add to why so many of us look up to her as a role model. This month, Portrait explores those reasons and presents to you a more deeper side to the much adored Sophia Bush.

Political & Passionate

'She's got this insatiable joy for just excitement and just energy,' says Sophia's OTH co-star Bethany Joy Galeotti.

Last year, during US President Barack Obama’s election campaign, Sophia showed her support for politics and the Democratic candidate by speaking to young people in the US and explaining to them why it’s so important that they vote. “I’m not saying I’m going to win this election for Barack Obama...But if I can make 10 people come out here and vote today, I did something for somebody that I believe in and it’s that ethic that I think America needs back,” she told TUC Daily at the time. Citing Obama as her “hero”, Sophia told US Weekly what it was about Obama that made her feel passionate about backing him: “I love that he is the first politician who doesn’t feel like a politician...Senator Obama is the one person who’s saying, ‘We can change everything – but it can’t be just me, and it can’t be just you.”

Sophia’s passion for political issues continued to shine after Obama was elected as President, when Proposition 8 (regarding whether same sex marriages should be legal) was voted upon in Sophia’s home state of California in November 2008. She told E : “I’m really proud to be an American and embarrassed to be a Californian right now...I’m disgusted that in a world that is so full of hatred, bigotry, and war, famine – you know we’re watching children overseas dying everyday of starvation and malaria and we’re criticizing two people for loving each other. And I think that it is devastating.”

Educated & Intelligent

Sophia is a self confessed bookworm.

Sophia is a self confessed bookworm and at times has admitted that she was a bit of a nerd during her high school years. “I loved school so much and I loved being educated and learning so much. I’m constantly trying to continue that,” Sophia said. A big fan of the Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel, Sophia also likes to keep her mind enriched through reading. “I love to read philosophy, fiction, biographies – I love it all,” she told Health Magazine last year. Therefore, it’s no surprise that what Sophia finds most attractive in a person is intelligence. “I think the sexiest thing on anybody is intelligence. I respect somebody who has a brain and wants to use it more than a pretty face and status,” Sophia said in an interview with IGN Film Force .

Hoes Over Bros

Sophia and good friend Brittany Snow.

Her One Tree Hill character’s motto is “Hoes Over Bros”, and in real life this is also a trait that is important to Sophia, who cherishes the friendships that she has with her girlfriends quite deeply. “I really identify with her honesty and her loyalty. I am a fiercely loyal person; there’s nothing more important to me than that. Brooke will call out anyone about anything and I love that about her,” Sophia told the Sun Times . One of Sophia’s good friends is John Tucker Must Die co-star Brittany Snow, who credits Sophia as a truly great friend that was there for her during Brittany’s battle with anorexia. “Sophia gives really, really good advice...I was going through a difficult time figuring out the whole Chad [Michael Murray split] thing,” Brittany told Cosmo Girl! “We had so many slumber parties where she held my hand [as we worked] through a lot of different things...When somebody can be there through something like that, they’re a friend forever.”

Sophia says “I want my friends to feel just as beautiful as I could ever feel, to be just as successful as I ever could be, and to be as happy in a relationship as I could ever be. When girls talk about that being a rarity in life, it bothers me. I wish everybody had the same intentions of longevity with our friends that we have with our [romantic] relationships.”

Low Key & Private

Although Sophia prefers to hang out with friends low key and casual, she does mix it up at celebrity events from time to time. Here she is with a few of her famous friends.

Being in the industry has been a learning curve for Sophia, especially when it comes to the press. “When you’re young and new to the business, people want you to put everything out there. When One Tree Hill started six years ago, we all thought it was normal to talk about everything, and I’d talk about my relationship [with Chad Michael Murray]. But that was the first and last time I’ve ever discussed a relationship with the press,” Sophia told Cosmo Girl! last year. For Sophia, the press interest in her life puzzles her. “People care about my personal life. But I’m really dorky! I drink beer and go to football games. And you know, sit in my house in a t-shirt on the weekends and play with my dog!”

But when Sophia does go out, she does keep it casual and low key. “I like going somewhere with my friends and I can laugh and catch up, rather than dance on tables and have nine cocktails,” she told Cosmo Girl! magazine.

Grounded & Happy

Looking gorgeous at a red carpet event.

When told she seems so grounded for someone in the showbiz industry, Sophia told Health Magazine: “To be honest, I’m amazed that other people aren’t! I think the weird ‘I’m fabulous, I’m entitled to everything’ attitude that pervades parts of Hollywood is nauseating.” For Sophia, it’s all about perspective. “Of course, everyone makes mistakes and we’ve all been young and stupid. But people need to have a sense of respect, particularly in this business, because hundreds of people are ready to take your place at any time. Maybe some people should think about that. Me, I’d prefer to have a good reputation rather than getting press for being scandalous, getting drunk in public, staying late and so on.”

Ever the optimist, Sophia says “I believe that happiness is being able to wake up and just know that this is what you wanted, and not what somebody else wanted. And remember, a smile is contagious!”

Hopeful & Open to Love

'I've always been the mom among all of my buddies and really a caretaker and definitely the girl who can go out and hang with boys and be comfortable,' says Sophia.

When Sophia’s 5 month marriage to One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray ended in 2005, unlike most, it didn’t leave Sophia bitter and jaded but instead optimistic about the future. “But I still believe in love. I want to get married again and have kids, and even adopt,” Sophia told Cosmo Girl! magazine a few months after the separation. Ever the professional, Sophia continued to work with Chad Michael Murray (and in couple scenes as well which no doubt would have been awkward!) and believes “you can love somebody, and not be in love with them, and I think that was a really valuable lesson. We weren’t ready to get married, but it definitely doesn’t mean we don’t care about each other,” as she told US Magazine last year.

“I’ve been through so much good and bad and scary and amazing, and there’s nothing I would take back, even the worst of it. When I see young women going through something hard, I want to say, ‘listen, when it feels like it’s not going to get better, it will. And if you don’t let it make you angry, it will open your heart up so much more,” she told Cosmo Girl! magazine last year. Sophia is now dating her One Tree Hill co-star James Lafferty, who plays Nathan Scott.

Caring & Sharing

Sophia is compassionate not just towards people but also towards animals and the world we live in.

Sophia is quite the political activist – constantly supporting charities and becoming involved in various campaigns. She especially feels strongly about the fight against poverty. The drive to help others is a trait that has been embedded in Sophia from a young age. When she was younger, Sophia wanted to be a doctor. And it’s not just people that Sophia is concerned about but also animals and the world around her. “I remember in the sixth grade, my mom being very amused by me trying to start a cleanup beach group with my friends at school. She was like, ‘Sophia, none of your friends who are like 11 years old are going to go to the beach with you on a Saturday and pick up trash.”

When she was the Tournament of Roses Queen in 2000 in her hometown of Pasenda, the charities and community services that Sophia was involved in was very dear to her.

Healthy, Curvy, and Loving It!

Sophia Bush - Natural Beauty.

Sophia is someone who accepts herself for who she is and doesn’t feel the pressure to conform for anyone else. What’s refreshing about her is how she stays true to herself – in all the years that we’ve seen her on our TV screens she’s never once changed her hair colour! As someone constantly in the spotlight, Sophia has never succumbed to pressure about losing weight and thus has become a positive role model for young females. “It’s weird. In our business, I’m a [US] size 2 and considered curvy. It’s important to remind young women, ‘Listen, even skinny girls have cellulite, even Halle Berry has cellulite, and what you see in photos isn’t totally real,” Sophia told Health Magazine last year. She declares that she would never diet to be thinner – “I’m Italian – I love food. I’m not going to cut out bread and pasta and wine to be thinner.” Ever the ambitious one, Sophia’s take on fitness and a healthy body is that “fitness isn’t about wanting to be rated with Jessica Alba on the Hot 100 List. I want to be able to hike the mountains of California with my grandkids.”

Role Model

'Sophia is energetic and has a beautiful heart,' says OTH co-star Bethany Joy Galeotti.

Sophia once told Cosmo Girl! Magazine: “I’m not a celebrity. I don’t call myself a celebrity. I’m an actor.” In fact, she still gets excited at some of the perks she receives for being recognized! “I still get really excited. You think Really? I can have it? And sometimes people want to give you more, and it’s like Two?”, she told Maxim Magazine. That being said, she does recognize the effects of the press on young people and hopes that one day they can channel their powers for good. “There are so many [big issues that teens face today]. They attack celebrities on blogs and teenagers are attacking each other on MySpace. There is so much negativity around, especially for young women. They’re so competitive. You just hope they’ll learn to love themselves for what they are. Embrace yourself. I’d like to see press outlets doing stories on women of all types. We all have different goals, passions, and dreams, and you need examples,” Sophia said to Teen Television .