“We chose living in the Hudson Valley because it reminded me of
Loudoun County in the ’80s and ’90s,” Burton reveals. “There is a
deep appreciation for agriculture, a rural lifestyle, and family oriented
activities. I’ve tried to mirror as much of my life up here as closely to
what I remember from my childhood growing up in Virginia.” Back
then, she remembers, this area where she was born and raised made
sure to teach children and teens how to make the world a better place.
“I got a lot of great training growing up in Loudoun County, because
it was really a service-minded education system. We did canned food
drives for everything.”
The proximity of the Hudson Valley to New York City is another bonus for
Burton. “I love New York City. It never ceases to have magic for me. I’m
so drawn to the opportunity that New York City symbolizes. You can be
anything in New York. It was the place I dreamed about as a kid growing
up in Virginia.” And while both Burton and Morgan spend a lot of time on
the road — she to various spots for recurring performances in television
shows like White Collar, Extant, and Lethal Weapon, as well as the 2018
Lifetime TV movie, The Christmas Contract (which she also co-produced),
and he to Georgia for The Walking Dead and elsewhere for feature films
like Rampage — the couple is dedicated to making their family life on
their farm with son Gus, 8, and daughter George Virginia, 1, a priority.
“I was always a little mother,” Burton says with a laugh. “When I
was a kid, I loved gardening, knitting, and making bread. You know,
‘grandma’ things. So now that I’ve actually aged into that, and it’s
appropriate, I feel good in my own skin these days. I like how being
a mother, being a spouse, and being a farmer informs all of my other
jobs. It really changes how I look at things.”
Burton is also figuring out how to bring her work right to her home,
with an initiative she’s instigated with fellow actor Mary Stuart
Masterson, who also lives in the Hudson Valley. “We are working on
producing more television films for Lifetime,” Burton explains, to build
on the success of The Christmas Contract, which was a sort of One Tree
Hill reunion of the show’s stars in an all new story. “And the Hudson
Valley has a wonderful tax incentive up here for productions — a 40
percent credit — so she and I are in recruiting mode. We’re working on
bringing our own productions here and also telling everyone, ‘Come
shoot your movie here. We’ll help you!’”
Juggling a family and a career in entertainment production might
seem enough to keep anyone busy, but Burton has plenty more
energy to pack much more into her life and community. When she
heard the shocking news that Park View High School, her hometown
alma mater in Loudoun County, Virginia was not able to field a varsity
football team for the 2018 season, she jumped into action.
“That was a great big alarm for all of the Park View High School
alumni, for those of us lucky enough to go there years ago,” Burton
explains. Burton saw an opportunity that came from great love of the
school as a student. “I was student body president. I was thespian
president. I was on the forensics team. If there was a club, I joined it.
I loved school.”
The Loudoun County of today, however, is not the Loudoun County
of her youth. “Sterling was definitely a farming community when
I was growing up,” she remembers. “It was kind of confusing to
witness the old farm houses and old barns being torn down while
all these new things were popping up in the area like shopping
centers. We found that while Loudoun County has expanded in such
a wonderful way, the development has been tough on some.”
“
I feel good in my own skin these days. I like
how being a mother, being a spouse, and
being a farmer informs all of my other jobs.
”
It really changes how I look at things.
Talking with teachers at
Park View High School
Credit: Sarah Baughman Photography
Hilarie poses with the 2018 PVHS
Homecoming Queen, Helene Nguyen
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Hilarie (right) as a PVHS cheerleader
SPRING 2019
7 FLYWASHINGTON.COM