Chad Michael Murray on ‘Merry Gentlemen,’ ‘One Tree Hill’ Revival, Ageism

When Chad Michael Murray was sent the script for “The Merry Gentlemen,” the Netflix movie about an amateur all-male musical revue that tries to save Christmas by rescuing a local diner, he gave an “immediate, terrified and terrified” — mostly because he hadn’t done anything that scared him in years. And then he hit the gym.

The feel-good holiday rom-com is a far cry from the bad-boy roles that made the former teen heartthrob a TV fixture. He first made his mark in the early 2000s, taking over The WB (and its successor, The CW) — first as slick Tristin DuGray on “Gilmore Girls,” then slimy Charlie Todd on “Dawson’s Creek,” then finally, broody Lucas Scott on “One Tree Hill.” He held the role in the quintessential millennial teen drama for 131 episodes.

Since 2000, there hasn’t been a single gap year in Murray’s résumé. But he’s more selective than he used to be.

“I was looking for something that didn’t feel too gratuitous for where I’m at in my life,” he says of taking on the CTV drama “Sullivan’s Crossing,” which is currently filming its third season. The fact that he wasn’t No. 1 on the call sheet was a big plus. “The pack” — his wife, actress Sarah Roemer, and their three kids — travels with him whenever he books a gig.

“I want to be there. I got to be there for my daughter’s first steps. “I got to take her trick or treating for the first time,” he says. “And she crushed it!”

And filming in Halifax, Nova Scotia, meant he can “completely submerge” himself into the community; he can even coach his 9-year-old son’s football team there, which he proudly touts, is heading to the playoffs. (A dedicated follower of the Buffalo Bills, Murray is set to executive produce a docuseries about the team’s passionate fandom.)

The New York native was also ready to stretch new muscles as a handyman turned exotic dancer in “Merry Gentlemen.” The film, which debuts on Nov. 20 and also stars Britt Robertson as the daughter of the diner’s owners, toes the line between sweet and sexy.

“It’s not gratuitous by any means. We threaded the needle on that film. You go too far and you’re making one movie, you go too under, and it doesn’t work at all. It’s in the perfect space where people won’t feel wrong having it on the TV in the background. It’s the sweet spot, and I’m really proud of that,” he says. While things may change down the line, for now, he’s focused on taking on projects in that realm. “In 10 years, my priorities may change, and I’ll say, ‘Alright, kids, you’re not watching this movie.’ “I like this lighter fare for where I’m at.”

“Merry Gentlemen” is family-friendly, but the trailer certainly inspired some online chatter when it showed a chiseled Murray performing shirtless onstage, as he did the release of a promotional calendar of the actor in pinup poses. Achieving the look took effort. To prepare, he jumped into six-hour dance lessons four times a week, took on a grueling workout regimen and changed his diet and sleep habits.

“It was a combination of everything from cardio to cyro to vitamins, supplements and clean eating. If God didn’t make it, I didn’t eat it,” he says. He also learned from co-star Colt Prattes — “I look like a 10-year-old boy next to him,” Murray laughs, — who taught him how to do “a third of the work and get better results.”

So, is he a dancer now? Not so fast. Although we can’t help but point out that he also did a few dance moves in his last Netflix movie, “Mother of the Bride.” That was a different — and very painful — experience. “That was the morning my back went out. Right before we were going to shoot that,” he says. “I had a back brace on and heating pads. It was excruciating!”

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At 43, getting in shape wasn’t as easy as it used to be. It’s a reality the movie touches on when Robertson’s character is replaced at his job by someone younger. Murray can relate, saying he’s “starting to” detect signs of ageism in the industry.

“I can’t, in a million years, understand what it really feels like. The male versus female expectations are completely different,” he says. “It’s a really difficult thing to deal with. You start getting grays in, and people start talking. That stuff can get in your head, it can affect you. I can’t imagine the weight that a lot of people do feel, going through it on a daily basis. I’m sure as time continues to move on, and someone says, ‘What happened to Chad? Why’d he melt?’ “it may affect me.”

Thanks to the staying power of some of his most memorable roles, Murray can read into aging.

He recently stepped back into the boots of his Ducati-riding character Jake for the sequel to 2003’s “Freaky Friday,” which also saw the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. “Jamie embodies leadership and love, and led in the most beautiful way,” Murray says of reuniting with his co-star. “We were able to bounce off each other, and it felt exciting, nostalgic and a tone of fun.” But will he be singing again as his fan-favorite character did two decades ago? “To be determined. We’ll see what’s in the edit,” he says.

Murray might also have a chance to revisit his most famous role. Ever since the melodramatic ending of “One Tree Hill” in 2012, fans have been clamoring for more.

When news broke that a Netflix sequel was in the works, it was reported that Murray would not be among the cast. He says he hasn’t received any details one way or another.

“You cross that bridge when you come to it. There’s just no way that I can tell the future, and there’s been no conversations,” he says. “But the fan base is infectious, and if this show comes to fruition, I’m so excited for them to be able to go through this journey — whatever that journey may be.”

And, he admits, his “Merry Gentlemen’s” character’s name, Luke, “might be a little wink and a nod” to his “OTH” role, since that wasn’t the original name in the script. He also played a character named Luke in 2019’s “Write Before Christmas” and played Lucas in 2024’s “Mother of the Bride.”

For his latest role, he notes, “Lucas tends to cross my paths a lot, and the name means light, so I thought, let’s bring some light to the holidays.”