Nathan Royal Scott is a fictional character from the CW television series One Tree Hill created by Mark Schwahn and portrayed by James Lafferty.

Considered to be an anti-hero at the beginning of the first season, Nathan became a much friendlier and more caring person as the series progressed, due to his relationship with Haley and other characters.

The writers originally wanted Chad Michael Murray to play Nathan, but he chose to portray Lucas as his mother had abandoned him, which helped him relate to the character.

[4] At the end of season three, James Lafferty has said he enjoys playing the rebellious Nathan, which he believes is due to his upbringing and having a father like Dan.

I remember not really knowing what the future of the character was going to be, because it seems like on television shows in general, the villain doesn't usually stick around for that long.

I never could've imagined that it would come to this, that he would be so settled down, and sort of the one present character on the show that's been married for years and has these two children, and such a strong family unit.

"[12] BuddyTV ranked him #12 in its list of the "15 TV's Hottest Dads" but was described as not the best father for initially ignoring his family after his accident, though he does redeem himself afterwards.