Chad Michael Murray was previously the face of One Tree Hill. However, he has starred on many beloved TV shows over the years like Dawson’s Creek and Gilmore Girls. Of course, it’s his role on One Tree Hill that he’s best known for. Murray starred as Lucas Scott, a teenager with a love of basketball and a lot of family drama. The series also starred James Lafferty, Bethan Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton, and Sophia Bush.
Chad Michael Murray also became a teen heartthrob due to his roles in movies like “Freaky Friday” and “A Cinderella Story.” However, his portrayal of Lucas Scott really had fans falling in love with him. Viewers were obsessed with Lucas life, including the women he loved. Not only did he fall hard for Brooke Davis, but he also married the love of his life, Peyton Sawyer. Lucas and Peyton seemed meant to be, although they were originally not supposed to end up together!
Now, years after One Tree Hill aired all of its best episodes, Murray is revealing that he can’t watch the iconic teen show. The actor claims that he’s moved past that part of his life and that he’s sort of removed it from his thoughts.
Why Chad Michael Murray won’t watch One Tree Hill
“It’s a section of my life that I deleted. A lot of development, a lot of growth as a human being, and [I] just deleted so much of it,” Chad Michael Murray told People Magazine. “I think we have hard drives, right? I’m probably like, you know when you get an iPhone that holds like 264 gigs: I’m down on a 32 gig phone because of old information, so booting everything up. So I think I’m deathly afraid.”
Murray was 22 years old when he landed the role of Lucas Scott in 2003. The actor remained on One Tree Hill until 2009 when he and actress Hilarie Burton both shockingly left the series. However, the actor returned for one episode in the final season, although Burton didn’t accompany him.
One reason why Chad Michael Murray may not want to watch One Tree Hill could be because of his personal life at the time. During the early years of filming, Murray married his co-star Sophia Bush. However, the pair quickly ended their marriage after rumors of infidelity. They continued to work together.
Chad Michael Murray still has love for his One Tree Hill co-stars
Meanwhile, although Murray says he has mentally erased One Tree Hill from his mind, he still loves his co-stars. The actor says he still has a lot of love for his former castmates.
“It’s one of those things where it’s a family,” he said. “We grew up together in a lot of ways. I could see Joy, Hilarie, or anyone from across the room. It’s like, ‘Family!’ You can grab onto each other and feel a little bit safe, because it’s your crew.”
Despite Chad Michael Murray’s comments, fans still obsess over One Tree Hill and new fans are made daily.