Chad Michael Murray says iconic actress became his 'aha' moment

Chad Michael Murray has his senior costar to thank for confirming his interest in girls.

Long before he made young girls swoon with his roles in Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, and A Cinderella Story, he saw Jamie Lee Curtis onscreen and knew he was into women.

In a recent episode of the Like A Farmer Podcast, Murray told host Pat Spinosa that he saw the actress in 1983's Trading Places and was mesmerized.

"She's a hooker in that. And I think that was when I was like, 'Oh, nope. I like girls,'" the Sullivan’s Crossing star said. "That was one of those moments."

"I was like, 'What is that? I feel something,'" he joked.

Murray got lucky enough to work with Curtis herself in 2003’s Freaky Friday at only 19 years old.

Praising the actress, he said, "She's awesome... She was the firstIn 2025, Murray, Curtis, and Lohan all reprised their roles for Freakier Friday, bringing a fresh sense of fun and nostalgia to the beloved story. Over two decades after the original, the cast reunited with enthusiasm, celebrating the humor and heart that made the film resonate for person that I ever got to have the opportunity to work with, where I was like, 'Okay, this is like an icon.' "

He went on to praise her for fulfilling the expectations of the craft after being born into "Hollywood royalty."

"[She was] born in it, raised in it, continued to do it, then lived up to expectations," he said. "Then she goes and has Halloween and True Lies, and Trading Places and all these unbelievable films."

Chad Michael Murray reprised his role as fan favourite Jake in the 2025 film Freakier Friday alongside returning stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.