Chad Michael Murray, aka every millennial’s early 2000s TV crush, just spilled the beans on the heartfelt (and slightly existential) story behind the cross tattoo on his wrist. This wasn’t just a “hey, I want to look cool” moment—it’s got layers, people. Like, Shrek-level layers.
The 43-year-old star of One Tree Hill (and countless swoon-worthy teenage fantasies) stopped by The Drew Barrymore Show to talk tattoos, life transformations, and, apparently, therapy sessions worthy of their own soap opera spinoff.
The Birthday Revelation
Picture it: Chad, age 25, wakes up in Wilmington, North Carolina—probably surrounded by the ghosts of One Tree Hill scenes past—and has a major epiphany. “I didn’t feel good,” he said, channeling big midlife-crisis-before-it’s-midlife energy. “I was like, I don’t really like the guy that I am.”
Ouch. Self-drag alert!
But Chad wasn’t about to sit around moping. Nope, this man decided to make a bold move—because when you’re a 25-year-old brooding heartthrob, the solution to an existential crisis is obvious: permanent ink.
Step One: Tattoo Therapy
“So, I made a decision,” Chad explained. “I went and got a tattoo.” That’s right, step one in his grand self-reinvention plan was less “self-help book” and more “let’s stab my skin with a needle.” The result? A cross.
Now, before you go thinking this was some spur-of-the-moment decision, Chad insists it was symbolic. “It’s the idea of it can be what you make it,” he said, adding just the right dash of mysterious philosophy. Is the tattoo a metaphor? A vibe? A magical life coach? Who knows!
The Wisdom of Older Friends
After the ink dried, Chad didn’t stop there. He decided to level up his friend group, saying goodbye to immature shenanigans and hello to the kind of people who probably use words like “stoic” and “life lessons.”
“I started surrounding myself with older people who I respected,” he said, casually hinting that he ditched the party crowd for the Yoda squad. “Seeing their jovial spirits bounce around” helped him make “a lot of different decisions.” Translation? Chad traded keg stands for profound conversations about life, love, and whatever wise people talk about over herbal tea.
The Ultimate Glow-Up Plan
But the real kicker in Chad’s journey? He did it all for love. Future love, to be exact. “Every time I’d go to therapy or make hard decisions,” he shared, “I’d say, just remember you’re doing this for your future wife and kids.”
Somewhere out there, Chad’s therapist is probably slow-clapping, while the rest of us are just swooning.
A tattoo, a spiritual awakening, and a journey toward being the kind of guy who’d make Mr. Rogers proud. If One Tree Hill ever needs a reboot, they might want to call it One Cross Tattoo.
Watch the interview below—if your heart can handle it.
