Why Hollywood Won't Cast Chad Michael Murray Anymore

#1. One Tree Hill was his career peak

One Tree Hill was the high point of Murray's career. This isn't to say that Murray is a bad actor, but many young thespians get stuck in the "teen" phase of their careers, often finding it hard to come out from it (Think: Freddie Prinze Jr.) Those that do successfully emerge from the Tinsel Town teen phase tend to possess major acting chops and that extra "it" factor (Think: Rob Lowe.) Murray was not able to sell his "it" factor in the way many had assumed he would.

After departing the show, Murray said he aspired to follow in the footsteps of Brad Pitt or James Franco, telling Lindzi.com, "I think that to be in the 'it column,' you need to have that passion. Whether you're a character actor or a leading man, you still have to work your butt off. Some people don't and they have short-lived careers. Others do and they have incredibly illustrious careers." We're not saying Murray doesn't have passion for his craft, but in his own words, "Sometimes you get a large fan base from people saying, 'He's a good looking guy.'" Unfortunately, looks will only get you so far.

#2. He left One Tree Hill too soon

Let's be real, Murray was the reason people tuned in every week to watch One Tree Hill (OTH). His character, Lucas Scott, was the relatable, brooding bad boy that girls couldn't get enough of, but to the surprise of many, the actor chose to leave the show after its sixth season alongside co-star and on-screen love interest, Hilarie Burton (Peyton Sawyer). Although it initially seemed to be a smart move on his part (going out on top before the show went downhill), that decision ultimately did not work in his favor.

The once popular actor did find some success outside of One Tree Hill with roles in A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005), but those gigs were landed during his OTH heyday. Once he departed the hit show, we barely heard from or spotted Murray in any significant projects, proving that OTH was clearly a major part of his success as an actor, and he may have jumped that ship too soon. The old-fashioned saying "don't quit your day job" could be fairly applied to Murray's situation.

#3. He became too old to play a teen

At some point within every teen actors career, they become too old to be considered for those bread-and-butter roles. Although Hollywood is notorious for casting slightly older actors in teen-central roles (to avoid child labor laws), there comes a point when an actor can no longer play a believable teenager. One of Murray's Hollywood challenges was that his breakout teen role happened when he was already rapidly approaching that invisible "too old" red line. Murray was already in his twenties when he was cast on OTH. At the time, he still had the youthful appearance to pull off the teenage role, but when he left the show, he had arguably aged out of the teen TV genre, thus eliminating the type of work he was best known for and thrusting him into career limbo.

If you think about it, how many actors successfully break out of teen shows such as Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000) or Awkward (2001-16)? Murray's OTH co-stars didn't fare much better breaking into the A-list. Not everyone can embody a Stacey Dash, who played 16-year-old Dionne in Clueless (1994) at age 29 or hit the post-show jackpot like most of the stars in Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000).

#4. He's still working, but who's watching?

We must admit, watching Murray during those steamy drama-filled moments as OTH's bad boy got us through some long weeks, but subsequent roles have largely gone unnoticed. The actor actually hasn't stopped working; it just seems like he did. Have you ever seen Caveman (2013) or Outlaws and Angels (2016)? Don't feel bad. Lots of people haven't, and the critics who did watch those flicks weren't pleased either.

In 2013, Murray managed to claim a featured role on Chosen, an online web series distributed through Crackle, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Although the show has survived three seasons, it's still struggling to maintain its foothold within a market that is saturated by strong original series on YouTube, Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix. It was definitely wise for Murray to nab the role of Jacob Orr on Chosen. Generally, being on a television series at least guarantees consistent work for a period of time (as long as the show remains successful). However, what Murray's career desperately needed was a more high-profile gig with a more popular show on a major network.

Perhaps that's what Murray was trying to achieve when he landed the role of Jack Thompson on the first season of ABC's Agent Carter in 2015, but that show didn't survive beyond its sophomore season, squashing hopes of a mainstream comeback.

#5. His personal life has remained under the radar

Murray's personal life went from center stage to underground, which may have negatively affected his professional career. In April 2005, Murray married fellow OTH co-star Sophia Bush (who plays Brooke Davis, one of Lucas' love interests on the show). However, the union was short-lived. Bush filed for divorce in February 2006. Initially, the actress tried to file for an annulment, citing fraud as the primary reason, but that petition was denied. Considering the drama that went down at the end of their marriage, we don't know how the exes managed to behave professionally on set. After that on-air and off-camera debacle, Murray's personal life went underground.

In 2014, Murray quietly dated and then married Chosen (2013-) co-star Sarah Roemer, who is best known for playing Shia LaBeouf's love interest in Disturbia (2007). The newlyweds soon announced they were expecting their first child, a son that arrived a few weeks before Father's Day in 2015. In November 2016, Murray and Roemer announced they're expecting their second child. The growing family keeps a relatively low profile on social media, which may be a healthy personal decision, but it certainly hasn't helped audiences remember Murray's superstar past or crave a comeback.

#6. He has interests outside of acting

Like many Hollywood figures, Murray has used his celebrity status to dabble in projects loosely related to acting. He starred as Alicia Key's love interest in the music video for "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" in 2010. The following year, he embraced his inner Lucas Scott by co-authoring a graphic novel titled Everlast. The book is a pre-apocalyptic story that focuses on Derek Everlast's quest to guide people to a safe place called Haven, where mankind is essentially reborn. Murray also penned a thriller-romance novel about a soldier called American Drifter, due out in 2017. Co-written with actress Heather Graham, Murray told Us Weekly that book was "inspired by a dream." In 2015, he launched a fundraising initiative for a children's hospital in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., raising money by selling One Tree Hill-inspired apparel, promoted through social media. While it's fair to say he's not afraid to venture into new endeavorsand for that we applaud himif Murray wants to make it big in Hollywood, he may need to fine-tune and focus his vision.

#7. How he can turn it around

Is Murray completely irrelevant in Hollywood? No. It's possible for him to revive his star status, and he may be on the right track. He wisely took a guest-starring role on FOX's Scream Queens during the show's freshman season. Landing the gig of Brad RadwellChad Radwell's older brotherwas a major step in the right direction, exposing him to new fans in key demographics, particularly the teens and young adults that fuel today's celebrity culture.

#8

At the time of this writing, Murray, who turned 35 in 2016, is also slated to appear in CMT's Million Dollar Quartet, a scripted drama series inspired by the musical of the same name. The show features Kevin Fonteyne as Johnny Cash, Margaret Anne Florence as Marion Keisker, and Murray playing Sun Records founder Sam Phillips.

Though we've seen him dabble in serious and dramatic roles, Murray may also want to consider comedic opportunities. Remember his hilarious rendition of Britney Spears' "Baby Hit Me One More Time" in Freaky Friday (2003)? He could truly excel at that genre and expand his resume.

We're certainly keeping an eye on Murray, but it remains to be seen if Hollywood will do the same.