Heartbreaking reason Chad Michael Murray went for One Tree Hill role

Chad Michael Murray’s role as Lucas Scott in One Tree Hill came down to a sad relation he had with his character, changing the course of the whole show.

There was nobody better to play the deeply thoughtful, sometimes sullen, and wholly tortured character what was teenage Scott in the hit CW series that ran from 2003 until its end in 2012.

Having ran for nine seasons, it followed the hectic and heartbreaking lives of the Scott brothers (Lucas and Nathan), who were reluctant half-brothers created by their nefarious dad, Dan, who was still married to Nathan’s mum, Deb, whilst pining for Lucas’s (Karen).

However, series creator Mark Schwahn initially wanted Murray to play Nathan, until the actor revealed his connection to Lucas.

Chad Michael Murray was Lucas Scott for nearly a decade (Warner Bros)

The brothers couldn’t be more different, with Nathan (James Lafferty) being a sporty ‘jock’ stereotype who fails academically, while Lucas is a poet who reads the classics and ponders life’s greatest problems.

But it was Lucas’s family dynamics and inner strife that had Murray interested.

According to the Making of One Tree Hill Documentary, Murray’s mother left him when he was young, and could understand Lucas’s storyline of abandonment.

The actor once said, per FandomWire: “I don’t like to be alone. It’s scary being alone. I’m always worried that I’m going to be abandoned or that people won’t care for me.”

He even turned down the role of Ryan Atwood in The O.C. to take the part.

But Murray has also been open with his struggles that came with fame, including extreme panic.

Speaking with him telling the Cut that he was ‘far more fragile than I ever put on’ during the filming of the show, explaining: "Everyone starts telling you 'Yes,' but I was walking around with a really pained heart."

He was supposed to play Nathan, but felt more connected to Lucas (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)

He explained that on his 25th birthday, he needed to find ways to cope, having previously been plagued by anxiety attacks caused by agoraphobia, the fear of being unable to escape, which he developed during the show.

"I woke up and felt unsettled. I didn't like the direction that I was going in my life," he said. "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."

Despite his challenges with fame at a young age, the actor might just make his return to Tree Hill.

In August 2024, Teen Vogue reported that Netflix is set to develop a continuation of the series which is set 20 years after the end of season nine.

This is set to see Brooke (Sophia Bush) and Peyton (Hilarie Burton Morgan) navigate life as mums of teenagers.

Oh, I hope it’s true.