The chemistry is good, but maybe not that good.
Without a doubt, One Tree Hill viewers had a lot of couples to root for during the show's long run between 2003 to 2012. There was one pair, however, who may have been a step above the rest.
For many longtime fans, the chemistry between Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) was undeniable. In the Sept. 13 episode of iHeartRadio's Drama Queens podcast, Bethany shared some insight into whether character feelings ever transferred to personal feelings.
"James and I always got on really well, but he was a lot younger than me," she told co-hosts Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton. "It just didn't really occur to me to have personal, romantic feelings for him. But as the show went on and the more time we spent together, I would totally have, like, a romantic dream about him and wake up and be like, ‘Oh! Wow, that was interesting.'"
Bethany continued, "We're kissing all day! We're, like, making out and being all lovey-dovey. Of course it's gonna work its way into your subconscious."
But before the rumors begin, the actress made it clear that the pair "never ever got together in real life." And no, she doesn't have any regrets.
As she explained, "That's, honestly, probably what kept the chemistry alive onscreen for so long too."
That's not to say every on-screen couple can separate their professional life from their personal life. For Sophia, she will always remember the magic between The Notebook's Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, who dated from 2005 to 2007.
"I think, sometimes, it turns into something that's actually real in real life," she explained. "I will never get over Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling kissing at the MTV Awards. I do think it is funny, man, to know some [people] who had amazing onscreen chemistry who actually hated each other. Or vice versa…I've seen real-life couples try to act together and chemistry onscreen is so flat. I think nothing is funnier."