- 5 months ago
Chad Michael Murray looks back on his early acting days and the unforgettable co-stars he’s worked with along the way — from ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek’ to ‘One Tree Hill,’ ‘Freaky Friday,’ ‘Riverdale’ and beyond. He opens up about joining ‘Gilmore Girls’ as Tristan (“I was a fish out of water”), and reflects on his spiky-haired days on ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ where he first met future 'One Tree Hill' co-star Hilarie Burton. From shooting in Wilmington, N.C. to red carpet reunions, the actor shares the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped his career — and the castmates who became family.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Look at me, I thought it was so cool.
00:01I didn't like my smile, and so I never smiled.
00:05And then when you get older, you learn that,
00:08oh, wait a second, when you look back at photos,
00:10the ones you're smiling in are always the ones you like,
00:13but you can't see them in the present.
00:14Why is that?
00:15I ask you.
00:17Hi, I'm Chad Michael Murray,
00:18and I'm gonna flip through this scrapbook
00:21from my co-stars over the years,
00:23and we're gonna start it off.
00:26Whoa!
00:27Look at that infant child.
00:29I remember the audition for Gilmore Girls
00:34with Amy Sherman Palladino.
00:36I remember being in the room.
00:37I remember the sun shining in the room through the curtains,
00:41and I remember getting the job and just being a lady,
00:44because this was the first reoccurring job
00:48that I'd ever received.
00:49Hey, Mary.
00:50Me?
00:51Yeah, you.
00:52My name is Rory.
00:53No, I'm Tristan.
00:54Hi.
00:55I mean, we were all like first-timers.
00:57Alexis was a first-timer.
00:58I was pretty young.
00:59Jared was a first-timer.
01:01Because Jared, I think he was only 17 years old,
01:04maybe 18 when he first started on the show.
01:06So we were all pretty brand new, a little wet behind the ears, as they say.
01:11Hey.
01:12Hey.
01:13I'm Rory.
01:14Yeah, I figured.
01:15Oh, gosh, I've known Milo for a long time now, basically since this photo.
01:19And we've always crossed paths in and out.
01:21We actually worked on a TV series called Chosen together that he was a producer on.
01:25One of the best jobs I've ever done.
01:26I actually met my wife on that show.
01:29So he and I go way back, and I love him like a brother.
01:35Good old Milo.
01:36Would you have a boyfriend?
01:37None of your business.
01:38Is that a no?
01:39Is there no one else at the school you can bother?
01:40It sounds like you'd like me.
01:41You just don't know how to say it.
01:42Oh, boy.
01:43I came in early season one.
01:44So, I mean, I think even if you're in episode two, three, four, you still always feel like
01:49an outsider, right?
01:50You weren't there for the pilot.
01:51And, you know, they've done maybe an episode or two before you got there.
01:55So they were in, or at least they were finding their rhythm, and I was a fish out of water.
02:00So I was just trying to, I was just trying to do the most I could with every scene.
02:04Oh, good old Charlie Todd.
02:07I love Charlie Todd.
02:08Charlie Todd had crazy hair.
02:10That was just Chad's rebellious face.
02:12It's just that guy.
02:13I don't know what he was thinking.
02:14I think it was my young, rebellious youth trying to just kind of mess it up and have some
02:20fun, and I don't necessarily know where it came from, but it looks really cool here.
02:27Here not so much, but I remember that day.
02:29It was so windy.
02:30We were shooting in Myrtle Beach when I first met Hilary Burton, my future One Tree Hill
02:34co-star, and yeah, I'll never forget that.
02:37She was playing herself.
02:38She was playing MTV VJ, and so I was like, oh, she's super cool.
02:43And then all of a sudden, you know, now we're on a TV series that we spent, you know, most
02:48of our 20s on.
02:50It's crazy.
02:51Joining Dawson's Creek was definitely something that I prayed for.
02:54You're watching all these actors go on to have these film careers, which is what I ultimately
03:00wanted.
03:01So it was one of those things where I was like, what a great training ground to go in,
03:03to work with these people, and to just try to take notes from them.
03:06I didn't know anything.
03:07I was so green.
03:08And so to go in there and to be able to hang with them on screen was a lot.
03:13And I'll tell you who taught me the most was Michelle.
03:16Michelle Williams, then and now, just so unbelievably talented.
03:22That girl has so much power and so much talent.
03:25I think it was like the first day I ever worked with her, she taught me about lighting.
03:28That will for always be a memory ingrained in me.
03:31And now I know about light, and I don't block anyone's light because of that.
03:35Well, why don't you cut me some slack, because you don't even know me.
03:38And you don't know me, because if you did, you would have started walking five minutes ago.
03:41You don't think I can take you.
03:43I remember Josh was the guy who was like, come on, let's go out.
03:47And then I shared my apartment, condo, whatever you call it.
03:52Down there, it was right by Michelle's.
03:54So when she was around, I got to chat with her a bit.
03:57So that was really, really, really cool.
03:58And then the others, most of the time, they were on the other side of town, and I didn't have a car.
04:02So, alas, 19-year-old problems.
04:06This is like a time capsule here.
04:08Wow.
04:09And this is where I spent the majority of my 20s.
04:11From 20 to 26, I guess.
04:14One Tree Hill.
04:15You ready for this?
04:16Why not?
04:18To your life.
04:20Yeah, it is.
04:22Man, I'll tell you, those early days for us, it was a lot of fun.
04:26My favorite scene and my favorite episode was the pilot.
04:29And the reason I say that is because I knew when I read the script,
04:33there was one thing I wrote on the front of the script, and I just wrote, this show has legs.
04:37And I just meant that because I thought that this show could go anywhere.
04:39It could just go on and on and on.
04:41And I didn't know that I'd be right.
04:43Like, I wasn't that astute to know that.
04:45But it just felt like this was the show that was going to go on.
04:48I was kind of an old hat at Wilmington, because that's where Dawson's was.
04:53So this is the Riverview Suites here.
04:55We had many a nights here, James and I, at a hurricane party here,
05:01where we learned that plates do, in fact, fly.
05:04You know, I think that one of the things that was special about the show
05:08is that you're moving to Wilmington, North Carolina, right?
05:10You're not in Los Angeles.
05:11You're not home.
05:12And so you have to make it your home.
05:15But who are the people you're seeing every day?
05:16It's your cast.
05:17So your cast becomes your family.
05:19You're with them all the time, 24-7.
05:21You're planning dinners, and you're going to go out on the weekends together,
05:25and you're doing all your press tours together.
05:27So you really are doing all of this together as a team, you know?
05:30Like, I remember our first time doing Planet Hollywood and doing TRL
05:35and doing these things and seeing what the show was becoming.
05:38I mean, it still blows my mind to this day.
05:40You know what's funny is you grow up together, right?
05:43So you just kind of look at each other and you go,
05:45man, we were just, you know, kids when we started.
05:48And now I look back and obviously I'm like,
05:50oh my gosh, we were still kids back then, which blows my mind.
05:54But you know each other so well.
05:56So every scene you could just click right in.
05:59I remember doing this scene right here.
06:02And I think we bonded big time when we did this scene.
06:05I just remember that she had to be really heavily emotional.
06:08And I was doing my best to make sure that we were right here for each other
06:12so that it could just be honest and beautiful.
06:14And it was.
06:15I just want to do it for me and our daughter for a minute.
06:19We see each other all the time.
06:20We cross paths quite often due to, I mean, honestly, streaming.
06:24You know, streaming has made this show bigger now than it ever was.
06:28It's when we were doing it, you know, it's open to an entire new generation.
06:32People that grew up with us now have kids and their kids are growing up with it
06:36on different platforms.
06:38And so we all get to get together and check on each other and see how they're doing
06:42or your kids are doing and all that jazz and hug it out.
06:44It's awesome.
06:45We see each other and it's like family.
06:47It's, you know, you're like, oh, cool.
06:49I'm going to go over to this side of the room.
06:50Okay. We're safe. We're good.
06:52You know, like even if you were at like a, like a big event, but if you see one of your
06:56co-stars from across the room, you're like, okay, good.
06:58I'm good. Let's hold hands.
06:59Be the coordinator. We're good. We're good. We're good.
07:01Next page.
07:03Oh, this movie was one of the most fun movies I've ever had made.
07:07I love this movie.
07:08It's in my top two.
07:10I don't know if it's one or two, but this movie felt like a high school field trip
07:13because we were just all friends. Everyone's just having a good time. You know, on the weekends,
07:18we'd all go hang out. If you didn't have an early call the next day, we'd go hang out.
07:22JD Pardo was my roommate and they were like, Hey, do you know anyone who could play your best friend
07:28in the show? I was like, well, my best friend. And so I was like, dude, JD, come on, bring him in.
07:33And sure enough, JD got on there. So I got my best friend out there and you just make relationships
07:39that, you know, they are awesome. You know, you're watching Jennifer Coolidge just be the
07:43powerhouse that she is. Gosh, everybody on that movie, I'll tell you, they hit a sweet spot.
07:48I'm sorry I waited for the rain.
07:51It's okay.
07:52Hillary's awesome. If you've ever met Hillary or if you've ever seen her even walking on the street,
07:56she glows. She has an, an aura that she could walk into a room and you're, I just go right to her.
08:02She just has this magnetic presence and she can light up a room and she does that so well.
08:08And she's been doing it so well. That's why she's been so successful for so many years.
08:11She was awesome. And I just remember her and her team and like every, everybody like her,
08:16you know, her teacher and everybody, they were so cool. So nice. Everybody was the best. Her mom,
08:21like the whole team, everybody I got along with over there. And we're just two, two kids having fun,
08:27making a big movie. Like, I don't think I ever expected it to be, uh, what it was, you know,
08:34I don't think you ever know. Right. But very cool. And by the way, that still fits. I just want to
08:40throw that out there. It still fits. You see, I went to a children's hospital event. It was a prom
08:47with the children's hospital. And I thought, what a cool thing would be to bring out the Cinderella
08:52story costume. So I put out a question to see if they loaned it to me and they loaned it to me.
08:57And sure enough, it didn't need any alterations. I couldn't believe it still fit. So I popped that on
09:03and my wife had never gone to prom. So I invited my wife to prom with me. So at least we got one
09:08dance. And then I danced with the kids that night. It was beautiful. It was awesome.
09:12House of Wax. My gosh. Holy cow. Love Jared. I love that man. I really do like forever. He'll be that
09:20guy that I bump into and we won't stop talking for hours. We're like kindred spirits that way.
09:26I love this guy. He's the best. I love his energy. Love everything about him. We bumped into each
09:30other in London last year, two years ago. And it was just, it was just a love fest.
09:37We were shooting in Australia. We were shooting on the Gold Coast. And that was one of the most
09:41complex films because the wax was hard to figure out and all the moving pieces and you're melting it.
09:48And we're in this town, which was super far out with moving pieces and rentals and just so many
09:55different variables to make this movie work. Not to mention, you're in the woods, right? And I
10:02remember showing up that day and just in my trailer, all there is a packet and it says,
10:08meet flora and fauna of like the spiders and the plants that are going to kill you, by the way.
10:14Don't get bit by this. It's a fauna web spider. You won't make it. Oh, but I'm in a tank top.
10:19Thank you so much. Jared saved my life that day. So there's a moment where I take my shirt off and
10:25I hand it to my sister. And Jared just goes, don't move, don't move, don't move. And swatted
10:34the spider right out as it was coming down. Thank you, Jared. Still here. I got beautiful babies now
10:40because of you. Thank you. Oh, for Veil Station. Oh man. What a film. I mean, just what a film.
10:48This movie affected everybody, you know, when everyone watched it.
10:57I felt like a fish out of water, you know, you're playing a character that you don't particularly
11:01like too much. And that's not easy to do. You have to find a way to like a character that's not making
11:06choices that you would ever agree with. Right. So that's one that's tough. So you have to find a
11:11a reason. And Ryan is just an unbelievable talent and director. He was then and he's even better now.
11:17It's insane. Kevin and I were on the plane from LA to Oakland. So that was that was cool. So we
11:23got to know each other real well. He's just the nicest dude. Like he plays the scariest guys in
11:27everything you see. But yet he's the nicest, biggest guy. I love the man. He's awesome. Michael
11:33loved that guy. He's a total pro. He's a gentleman. And every time we ever cross paths, we just hug it out
11:40and catch up. And yeah, awesome. Agent Kata. Oh, goodness. This was a big week for me.
11:49This was a big week. So I found out or actually my wife and I found out that we were pregnant
11:57with our first child the same week that I booked this. So that was a big week. So we had all this
12:05information that we wanted to tell and share with our family. But my brother was getting married that
12:09week and we didn't want to steal his thunder. So we didn't say anything. We kept it all bottled up.
12:14And then we'd go back to the car and we'd have like little celebrations. And then we'd go back to,
12:19you know, keeping it a secret. Becoming part of this mega Marvel world was a very cool opportunity.
12:25And I love the ensemble. Look at that. I mean, look at how classically just beautiful
12:32their suits were. Thank God I know how to tie a tie. Great cast, great crew, great everything.
12:39I've been riding you since you took this case. And you're telling me you're just gonna let it slide?
12:42Well, I wouldn't say that. They threatened to shoot you. Yeah, I remember. Haley, another powerhouse.
12:49You know, you see people that have a talent to exude energy when they speak. And I have so much
12:56respect for that. They clock in, they dial in, and then they just deliver. And it's almost immediate.
13:02Instead of finding the scene, it was very much just, she knew it. She's so good. And I love her in
13:10Mission Impossible. Wow. Oh my gosh. Edgar Ever and Ever. I have that at home on a mannequin.
13:18It was just too cool. I begged. I begged. I'm so grateful that I got to keep it.
13:22Do you remember the prophet Elijah? Elijah ascended. And I will too. This was fun. And I gotta say,
13:31this was one of the most professional sets of young people I've ever worked with. Everyone was prepared.
13:36Everybody was on time. Everybody was ready to go. And that's not always the case when you're dealing
13:41with young actors because young actors, they do what young actors do. But I love how they set the
13:46show up. They put mature adult actors who I think they could respect like Luke Perry and Skeet and all
13:54these people in there. So they could set the tone and then they go, oh, we got to do A, B and C and D.
13:59You know what I mean? It was pretty cool. It was a pretty interesting dynamic. Oh, Sullivan's. We love
14:06this show. This is another show that I prayed about. Having kids, I've been very specific about
14:13what I want to do. I want to make sure that I'm around to be dad. It's just everything to me being
14:19dad. I want to be home. I want to see them every day. And I want to be a very large part of their life.
14:26And sometimes if you get certain jobs, like number one on a procedural 22 episodes,
14:31you're gone. And I just, I have pushed myself away from all that. I don't want to do that. Like I sat
14:37down and it took about two years and I prayed every single night, every night for a very specific
14:42want. A show that was not, didn't feel gratuitous, that was very family friendly, that ended up in a
14:49very beautiful location where my family and I felt like we could integrate into the community and just
14:53become a part of everybody, which is Halifax, which we love with a cast that we'd all get along
14:58and everyone would bond. And it was like a very specific, very detailed prayer that I put out
15:02every single night. And then came Sullivan's Crossing. And here we are going into season four. We start
15:08shooting in like a week and a half, two weeks. It's awesome. I cannot wait to get out of this place.
15:14Yeah, I'll bet. It'll be good to have you back. You've been missed.
15:19Yes, sir. I didn't even realize that I had never worked with him on Gilmore. I know that we were
15:26in a scene together on Gilmore. I don't know if it was the Romeo and Juliet sequence. Everyone was like
15:32in the room together, but we never actually acted opposite each other. But I remember when I found out
15:39that we were going to do this, I was excited to know that I was going somewhere where at least I
15:44knew somebody, which is not always the case. You end up walking in and you never know what you're
15:48going to get. So that part of getting this job made me feel at ease. And this one, Morgan, she is
15:55so incredibly talented, genuinely. She has the ability to bring so much emotional power to her work.
16:05There was a scene in season three where she lost a baby and trying to comfort her in the moment. And
16:13I could feel it through my whole body. And it gave me chills to the bone, feeling her exude so much
16:21emotional pain. It's something special to witness as an actor, watching someone else do that.
16:26Oh, yeah. Come on. Come on. All right. We should do a sequel.
16:35I'm just saying it. More merry, more gentlemen. You know, we step it up. Another strip of Christmas
16:41because that is what we do on Christmas. Isn't that the first thing you think of when you think
16:46of Christmas? Strippers? Men taking their clothes off. It's men taking their shirts off.
16:50Oh, it's a different story then. Really? No. Two of these guys are professional dancers. Colt,
16:56right here. He-Man, the guy that, you know, makes me look like a child. He is unreal. Like,
17:03this guy, first off, an amazing human being. Incredible dancer. Incredible actor. All of the
17:07above. He's actually on Broadway right now in Aladdin. I love him. I love his wife. I love,
17:12like, the guy's just, he's for life. Myself and Mark here, we were the fish out of water. So,
17:19I had to really, really get ready. Hector here is an unbelievable dancer as well. The guy has just
17:26got crazy moves. So, I started before everybody because I was so incredibly nervous. I said,
17:32guys, give me a month. And they were like, well, you need two weeks to get ready.
17:36Give me a month. Let's get in there so that when they get there, I'm ahead of where they are so that
17:41they're catching up and I'm not catching up because I don't want to hold anybody back.
17:45Oh, Britt. She's so funny. Britt might be one of the funniest leading ladies I've ever worked with.
17:49Like, there's never a dull moment. And she just gets in there. She dials it in. She's an absolute
17:54fantastic actress. Incredibly underrated. Or not. Maybe she just chooses to stay down, stay quiet.
18:00But this girl is so talented. Loved working on her. Absolutely. Whoa, I know these people.
18:07Saved the best for last. Is that what you were trying to do?
18:10It's a great bike. What? Not like I've ever been on it. I'm not allowed.
18:14I mean, I'm allowed because I'm old. I gotta go. Bye. I mean, I just remember
18:22just hoping I didn't screw it up. You know, I remember her being so supportive and loving
18:29Jamie. And I remember her being playful and bright. Lindsay and I were kids. I mean,
18:36Lindsay was probably 16, I think. I was her first on-screen kiss. That was a whole thing. That was
18:41super nerve-wracking. Jamie helped us through all that. I remember just trying to hang on and hope
18:47that no one figured out I wasn't very good at this. And then just being a part of it. And then here you
18:52are today. And now you can see everybody so much more comfortable in their craft and just letting
18:59loose. Lindsay's so good in this movie. She's so good in this movie. Jamie is so good in this movie.
19:04The physical comedy that they both bring to this picture is insane. And I get to stand right there
19:10and watch it all. I mean, it was like an eight minute take of her just sitting here and trying
19:15different things to see what was going to play. And me just completely and utterly reacting to the
19:20insanity. I know what this is. You're having a stroke. No, no. I just need to go to the bathroom.
19:24I did crack once. She got me. And I'm not easy to cry. I'm not an easy nut to crack there. I like to
19:32hone it in. But yes, she got me. It's just a full circle moment to start off in a career that you
19:40always wanted to do. You put your mind to it. You move out to Los Angeles. You take a shot. You say,
19:46you know what? Let's see what happens. And you get a little lucky. And then finally,
19:52you get your chance. And you're filled with so much joy. And you're so elated that you get to go
19:58to work. You get to go to work. You get to walk on set. And you get to work opposite Jamie Lee Curtis
20:04and Lindsay Lohan and so many other awesome people throughout the course of 26 years. What an
20:10unbelievable blessing. I don't take any of it for granted. And I won't. I'm grateful every time I get
20:17to sit. And I tell my kids every single time I say, I get to go to work, guys. Not I gotta go to work.
20:24I get to go to work.
Be the first to comment