Chad Michael Murray makes heartbreaking admission of early days of One Tree Hill filming

Chad Michael Murray, who stole hearts when playing the misunderstood basketball star Lucas Scott on the teen series One Tree Hill, has made a heartbreaking admission about an experience he had during the early days of filming.

Murray was just 21 years old when he took on the life-changing role which propelled him, and the rest of the main cast, to fame.

He made a name for himself when he embarked on a five-month marriage with his co-star, Sophia Bush, in which appeared to end in an unceremonious fashion.

The two then had to work alongside one another on the One Tree Hill set for a few more years - which we can imagine was pretty awkward at the best of times.

In a profile piece with The Cut, Murray opened up about how difficult it was to navigate his life essentially changing overnight and becoming a megastar.

Chad Michael Murray reflected on the early days of One Tree Hill. (Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix)

He said that he was 'far more fragile' than people realised.

The actor added: "Everyone starts telling you ‘Yes'.

"But I was walking around with a really pained heart.”

He recollects his anxiety deeply affecting his life, while acknowledging that he lives with agoraphobia, which first reared its head when the success of One Tree Hill was at its peak.

Murray said: "I was around 23 and I had an event in Miami, but I couldn’t leave my hotel room. The world felt like it was closing in; I was having anxiety attacks.”

Explaining how he began to deal with feeling lost in life, he said the changes began at 25 years old.

Murray and his One Tree Hill co-stars. (Theo Wargo/WireImage)

Murray continued: "I woke up and felt unsettled. I didn’t like the direction that I was going in my life. I went to church, and I got a tattoo of a cross on my left wrist, and I was like, I’m going to move myself in faith.”

While he's older now, at 42 years old, Murray still looks back on being the object of many teenage girls' affections at the start of his career.

He added: "You may not know it, but you watching me on Gilmore Girls has a lasting impact. It makes a little notch in your heart and actually shapes who you are ever so slightly. Even when we’re old and I’ve got crazy grey hair and everything else, we will still have that bond.”

Murray's latest released film is Mother of the Bride, a 2024 comedy co-starring Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove.

Mother of the Bride is available to stream on Netflix.