Hilarie Burton says she feels “sweetest” when she’s outside, hard at work on her farm.
Talking to presenter Melanie Berliet on Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker 2024 event in New York City on Thursday, September 19, the 42-year-old actress opened up about how her style has changed since her teenage years on shows like One Tree Hill – and how moving to a Hudson Valley farm in New York changed her standards of beauty.
Referring to a previous interview at View when Burton said she felt the expectation to look like she was 17 forever but decided to let her gray hair go, host Berliet asked the star if her hairstyle was a direct response to those “confused expectations.”
“You know what? I used to joke that I was a Los Angeles three, but I was a Hudson Valley nine,” Burton joked, referring to the beauty standards in Hollywood compared to where he lives now. “And isn’t it crazy how where you live can affect your opinion of yourself?”
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“I remember walking into our local farm store and feeling really cute, just like I’m carrying the heaviest things I’ve ever carried. I’ve got feed and hay, I’ve got fertilizer and I’m covered in s—,” she continued, joking se: “I’m so hot right now.”
According to the actress, she started wearing men’s clothes and dressing more for her newfound outdoor lifestyle when she moved with her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, to a farm in Rhinebeck, NY — where they keep tons of animals and crops, including a donkey and an emu.
“I’ve always worn men’s trousers my whole life. My dad was in the army and I used to steal all the army trousers with all the pockets,” she continued. “I remember moving to the farm thinking my collection of trousers with pockets had finally paid off. I did. I had something for every pocket.”
“The magic of that place is what makes you feel. I feel better there,” she continued, talking about working on her farm and how it feels to return to Los Angeles for TV or film shoots. “I feel like a better wife there. I feel like a better writer there. I don’t go on set as an actor and I don’t hate myself for it because it’s a special occasion. I usually deal with the mud. If someone else wants to brush my hair, that’s cool .”
“There’s a magic to being in a place where everything else is a treat and that’s my normal,” she added.
Burton and Morgan — who have been together since 2009 and have two children — first moved to Mischief Farm in April 2018. At the time, the couple announced via Instagram that they had purchased the 100-acre working farm, and the actress was candid about how she maintains it and takes breaks to return to Hollywood from time to time.
Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan embrace their grays and match outfits for rare red carpet outings
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Elsewhere in her conversation with Better Homes and Gardens, Burton spoke about how her lifestyle has changed her relationship, as well as her parents, for the better.
“My husband is great and I think he sees how happy I am doing the things I do and I’m so proud of him for the things he does,” Burton said. “Sometimes it’s like a Victorian marriage where he goes on a sea voyage for three months and then he comes home and those goodbyes and goodbyes are really passionate and fun.”
“To center our kids and give them a lifestyle where my son can go out and shoot a movie in our weird backyard with all the rocks and moss and pretend he’s in The Lord of the Rings. That’s great. That’s what I want for him,” she added. “I think a lot of outdoor play has been taken away from kids. So creating safe spaces where they can do that, their friends can do that is very, very important.”
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Source: HIS Education