Chad Michael Murray Credits This Person for Transforming His Career!

Long before he broke his nose in an incident at a Burger King, a 15-year-old Chad Michael Murray faced a life-threatening intestinal blockage. Suffering from internal bleeding where he “lost 50% of [his] blood”, he was bedridden for two and a half months. “I was knocking on death’s door,” he revealed during an episode of the podcast Great Company with Jamie Laing (reported by Deadline).

During his hospital stay, he met a nurse named Alana who would significantly impact his life.

“She Kept Her Promise”

“Alana told me: ‘My gosh, you should try modeling.’ I said, ‘I don’t want to model. I want to be an actor. I love movies and TV.’ She replied, ‘Well, you can start with modeling and transition to acting. Listen, when you get out, I’ll connect you with a modeling agency I know.’ And she kept her promise.”

After leaving the hospital, Chad realized he had dropped from 180 to 117 pounds. “I was skeletal when I got out, it was the scariest thing. I remember looking in the mirror for the first time and thinking: ‘Who is that?’ I cried. I couldn’t believe it was me in the mirror.”

Thanks to Alana’s connections, he started modeling, and the agency eventually paid for his trip to a convention in Orlando. There, an impromptu drama contest allowed him to move to Los Angeles and find an agent, kickstarting his acting career. By then, it was 1999, and he was 18 years old.

A Rapidly Ascending Career

Chad Michael Murray landed his first jobs around 2000, including a recurring role in “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2001), followed by “Dawson’s Creek” (2001-2002), and then leading roles in “House of Wax” by Jaume Collet-Serra and several TV movies in 2003. That same year, he played the heartthrob in “Freaky Friday” alongside Lindsay Lohan and began the series that would propel him to stardom: “One Tree Hill.”

The show continued until 2012, the same year he appeared in the horror movie “Ghosts of Georgia” and the drama “Fruitvale Station.” While he kept working, his films and shows didn’t all reach France, but he scored a notable role in the Marvel series “Agent Carter” (2015-2016) and the lesser-known but critically acclaimed “Sun Records” (2017). He later joined “Riverdale” for a ten-episode arc and appeared in numerous Christmas TV movies.

He is currently featured in “Freaky Friday 2: Back in Mom’s Body.”