Chad Michael Murray Reflects on His Rapid Rise to Fame in the Early 2000s
- - Chad Michael Murray Reflects on His Rapid Rise to Fame in the Early 2000s
Mia GalanteJanuary 12, 2026 at 3:18 AM
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Photo by NBC on Getty Images
Chad Michael Murray gets candid about his rise to fame.
During the Wednesday, Jan. 7 episode of the Like a Farmer Podcast, the 44-year-old actor reflected on his lengthy career and his quick rise to fame in the early 2000s following roles in Dawson's Creek, A Cinderella Story, One Tree Hill, and Gilmore Girls.
"You'll never know when you're in it. And I think if you do, it's a problem," said Murray. "If you know that you are the guy and you're in the moment, it's probably a problem because you're getting your ego inflated to a certain degree, right?"
Murray moved to Los Angeles, Calif., from Buffalo, New York, in 1999 and was cast in a recurring role on Gilmore Girls in 2000. Murray spoke candidly about his experience as a young actor quickly rising to prominence.
"I grabbed the bull by the horns and was like, ‘Let's go. Let's go have some fun.’ And we did. We had a lot of fun," he said.
Murray admitted that he has some regrets around how he acted early on in his career and that he "learned more from what I screwed up."
"And do I look back and have a lot of regret? Of course. Like, what a crazy time. I'm so grateful there were no camera phones around," said Murray.
Murray also reflected on learning to stay humble during his early Hollywood success.
"Because if I would have continued to keep winning, I think I probably would have destroyed myself," he said. "I don't think winning was the answer at that time. I think God was like, 'All right, let's back off. Let's back the trolley down. Like, you need to be humbled just a bit.' I'm grateful for it, man."
While Murray's career slowed down after he left One Tree Hill following the show's sixth season in 2009, he has stepped back into the limelight in recent years. Murray recently reprised his role as Jake in 2025's Freakier Friday, as well as starring in Netflix original films Mother of the Bride and The Merry Gentlemen.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
