Chad Michael Murray admits 2000s fame could have 'destroyed' him

Chad Murray is looking back at his early fame and the lessons he learned.

In a recent chat on Like A Farmer podcast, the now 44-year-old actor candidly spilled about his acting days in the 2000s and expressed his gratitude for the tough experiences.

When host Pat Spinosa called Murray "that guy" of the early 2000s, this prompted the actor to confess that success at a young age comes with its own cost.

For the unversed, Murray became a household name with the hit teen drama The One Tree Hill actor, following his popular role in Gilmore Girls and Dawson's Creek.

“You'll never know when you're in it. And I think if you do, it's a problem," Murray told the host. "If you know that you are the guy and you're in the moment, it's probably a problem because you're getting your ego inflated to a certain degree, right?"

While reflecting, Murray shared he would "do it all over again."

"I wouldn't change a thing...and the only reason I say that is because I wouldn't have my wife and kids. I wouldn't be where I am. I probably wouldn't have refound the Lord. I probably wouldn't have been, like, as grateful as I am to go to work on a daily basis."

Murray further said that there was “no book” on how to handle fame, recalling the days after he moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and landed the successful roles.

"I grabbed the bull by the horns and was like, ‘Let's go. Let's go have some fun.’ And we did. We had a lot of fun," he shared.

Murray went on to say, "And do I look back and have a lot of regret? Of course. Like, what a crazy time."

"I'm so grateful there were no camera phones around," he added.

He concluded with confession that his mistakes were real teachers, Murray said, "Because if I would have continued to keep winning, I think I probably would have destroyed myself. I think God was like, 'All right, let's back off. Let's back the trolley down. Like, you need to be humbled just a bit.' I'm grateful for it, man.”