Chad Michael Murray opened up about when he nearly stepped away from acting after he departed from the hit teen drama ‘One Tree Hill.’
In an interview with Interview Magazine, the 43-year-old, once a teen heartthrob, thanks to iconic roles in ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘One Tree Hill,’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ shared insights into the more unusual aspects of early 2000s fame.
Chad Michael Murray on His Bizarre Interaction with a Female Fan
Murray recalled, “I remember we’d just finished shooting Tree Hill, and Craig Sheffer and I had gone down to Hell’s Kitchen, and we’re having a drink at this bar.”
He added, “This girl comes up — she was a super big fan. She came over, and she pulled her chest out on the bar, and said, ‘Could you sign these?’ ”
Murray revealed that Sheffer, who portrayed his character’s Uncle Keith in the series, encouraged him to accept the request.
“It was terrible. I’m talking, like, the worst autograph you could ever autograph,” he recalled. “Anyway, I’m like, ‘Okay, all right, great, done. Thank you so much.’ Then two-and-a-half hours later, she returns and now has the autograph tattooed right there.”
“That was one of those moments where I said, ‘I don’t ever want to write on any skin ever again because that’s on her body forever,’ ” he continued. “And I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. Now, some boyfriend’s going to come beat me up 20 years down the road.”
Chad Michael Murray on Why He Decided to Quit Acting
However, Murray clarified that it was not an unusual fan request that made him contemplate leaving showbiz after he departed from ‘One Tree Hill’ in 2009.
The actor admitted that there was a point in his life when he seriously considered quitting acting, revealing that he felt completely overwhelmed and ready to step away. Reflecting on those years, he described the period between 18 and 25 as particularly challenging, explaining that during those formative years, people often grapple with life’s complexities while their brains still develop.
He acknowledged that the mistakes were inevitable, even as adults. Still, he confessed that it was tough for him to process his missteps when he lacked the maturity to comprehend the situations he found himself in fully.
“That was hard for me because there are so many eyeballs on you,” Murray explained. “And you go to the grocery store, and someone points at you, ‘Oh, that’s the guy that’s on the tabloid, or that’s the guy that did this.’ Even if they’re not talking about that, sometimes your head goes to a negative place, and I know mine did. And so I just pivoted at that point in my life and said, ‘You know what? This is not what I want.’ ”
Chad Michael Murray Didn’t Initially Understand the Influence of the Industry
Following his departure from ‘One Tree Hill’ in 2009, Murray took on a few TV movie roles the next year and later appeared in films such as ‘To Write on Her Arms’ and Fruitvale Station.
While reflecting on his early success in Hollywood, he admitted that, as a young actor, he needed to fully grasp the industry’s influence or the level of respect required for the craft, the people involved, and every opportunity presented to him.
“So I took a lot of time to reassess it all,” he said. “It took years of talking to people much smarter than me to get where I wanted to go.”
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