He wooed Rory in Gilmore Girls, Joey in Dawson's Creek, and is set to win your heart as the lead role in the WB movie The Lone Ranger on February 26 at 8:00 p.m. EST. All in the line of duty, we let Chad Michael Murray charm us, too.
How did you get into acting?
When I was 15 years old I was in the hospital getting an operation on my small intestine, and my nurse happened to be a model for Voice Stream. She said I should get into modeling, but I told her I'd rather be an actor and she said I could segue into acting. So I joined a modeling group in Buffalo, New York. They paid my way to go to a convention in Orlando, Florida. From there, I met people who suggested I should move to L.A., so I did, when I was 18.
How did your parents feel about you moving to L.A.?
My dad just told me to go out and do it. He had faith and he trusted my opinion. I started acting lessons right off the bat and I started getting modeling jobs here and there. I didn't really enjoy it, but I could pay the bills that way. And the next thing you know, I was working on the WB. I spent a year with the Gilmore Girls, spent a year on Dawson's Creek, and then did my first film.
How did you feel when you got the part in Gilmore Girls? Was that a big stepping stone for you?
It was really surreal. I felt like, wow, I actually did something outside of Buffalo; I got out. I was really excited to go do it. Everyone was really nice. I still talk to people on the show. Jared Padalecki, we're still really great friends; Alexis [Bledel] and everybody... they're all sweethearts.
So then you got a part on Dawson's Creek. How was that in comparison?
It was different. They were both great experiences, but different. On Dawson's Creek, I got to work with veterans. Josh, Katie, James, Michelle and Kerr have been doing it for so long, so I just sat back and watched and learned. But they took me right under their wing. I hung out with Josh mostly and just relaxed, watched football.
Did you notice any of the infamous tension on set between James Van Der Beek and Josh Jackson?
I wasn't there [when it started], I don't know anything about it, so I keep my nose out of it. I didn't notice any incredibly large tension that made people not be able to work. Some days were frustrating, some days weren't. But we had a lot of fun overall.
Out of the two shows, which did you prefer working on?
I really didn't have a preference. They were both great. Gilmore Girls was really close to home. I woke up every morning and hopped out of bed and I was on the set in a minute, because it was right down the street from my house. Dawson's Creek was a little farther from home but I had a lot of fun with the guys. So both experiences were just really, really different.
You played Tristan on Gilmore Girls and Charlie on Dawson's Creek. Which character are you most like?
Actually, I wouldn't say I'm most like either of the characters. Charlie was definitely more the player type, he didn't seem like the most intelligent guy around. Whereas Tristan was very well spoken, he was a little wealthier. I enjoyed Tristan more because it was the farthest thing from me. But I don't think any characters were like me in any way.
So what were you like when you were at school?
Man, I was a nerd. I had no friends. I wanted to be creative in my own way and I don't think people where I come from accept that. I didn't have a lot of money growing up, so I couldn't get the cool clothes — the Nikes, and the Abercrombie clothes — they wore. They all dressed the same. It was really sad to watch, actually. I did my own thing.
Did you date very much?
I had a girlfriend through high school and I didn't date much. I'm very much a monogamist. I like to just get comfortable in a relationship and know everything about each other. If I find something I really click with, I don't feel like changing; I don't find a need for all that.
So what kind of things do you need to click with? What's important to you in a relationship?
A woman who can sit down and have an intelligent conversation, who's usually smarter than you. I've been told my whole life by a lot of different people, always pick a woman smarter than you. I think it helps in a relationship, so that she can understand you. I never wanted to be a guy that sat there with a bimbo on my arm. That's just not me.
But would you care if she weren't an actress?
Either way, it doesn't bother me. If you're an actress, you're an actress, and if you're not, you're not. I'm not looking for some high-class celebrity girl and I'm not looking for some poor girl from the 'hood. I'm just looking for a girl that I can connect with.
Tell us about your new movie, The Lone Ranger.
It was fun, I got a chance to ride horses and shoot guns. It's a story of how a 19-year-old guy from Harvard gets off a stagecoach in Dallas. He's going to be a lawyer. He's very vulnerable; a kid, still but very intelligent. And he grows and becomes the lone ranger and a man through trial and tribulation.
Did you have to learn how to ride a horse or to shoot for the part?
I did. It was incredibly fun. After about four times on the horse everyone thought I had been riding for a long time, everyone really complimented me. It just became second nature. They put me on a wimpy horse to start, it was like a car. But when I got onto the horse that I shot on, Blanco (or "Silver" on the film), he only basically paid attention when they said "action." As soon as they said "cut," he did exactly what he wanted to do.
Was it a big challenge, having to learn new skills for this movie?
Yeah, there were a lot of challenges. I was sick in the beginning of the show with mono. I had to overcome that while training to spin a gun, to ride horses and to shoot a bow and arrow. At the same time, I've got a script in front of me that had a great emotional arc and a great range for this character. So I had to artistically be ready and perform and then physically I had to try to perform. Both [were] tough.
It's funny, it seems like you're in practically every show on the WB!
I've spent a lot of time at the network. I've had a lot of fun over there and hopefully another great project comes along that I'll be really intrigued by. That's what I'm doing right now, leaving my options open. I read four scripts the other night. I've just been reading a lot of scripts. There [are] films I'm interested in, there's a TV series... whatever comes along, I'm just looking for something that I'm going to be creatively challenged by every day, and feel like I'm telling a great story.
Your first big-screen movie, Freaky Friday, is released this summer. Tell us about that.
It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, who was an absolute sweetheart. Lindsay Lohan plays her daughter, and I got to play the love interest of two girls. The mother and daughter switch bodies; their souls switch because they're not getting along very well and my character has feelings for the daughter. When she switches into the mother's body, he follows her personality and all of a sudden has feelings for the mother.
It sounds funny.
It's like a quirky comedy. I've got a scene where I'm standing outside the house singing "Hit Me Baby One More Time," and I can't sing a note. I had a lot of fun. It was just something I needed to do... play a little bit of a more nerdy role.
