Chad Michael Murray turned down roles because of his faith: 'I stick to the things I believe in'
Actor says he reads the Bible every morning to put on 'spiritual armor'
For Chad Michael Murray, when it comes to acting his career, it’s always God over everything.
The 40-year-old actor best known for his roles in the shows "One Tree Hill" and "Gilmore Girls" recently told Fox News he has turned down roles that he didn’t feel comfortable taking on due to his faith in Christ.
"I stick to the things I believe in," Murray said. "Let's just say a piece of material were to come across my desk, which has happened plenty of times over the last 22 years, that I don't necessarily feel is what I believe or what I'm selling, then that's not for me."
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The "One Tree Hill" and "Left Behind" star said regardless of the project he’s working on, his process revolves around grounding himself in Scripture before he ever steps foot on set.
"I get up every day and I put that spiritual armor on, read the Bible and do some devotionals and then get ready to go to work," Murray was quoted as saying.
"I feel stronger and safer walking onto my sets every day knowing that I have God with me every day. Jesus is there with me every day," he added. "When you have that comfort that you just feel safe, you feel different, you feel the opportunity to handle more, your shoulders are bigger, you can carry more weight."
Murray, who is set to star alongside Bruce Willis in the upcoming "Fortress: Sniper's Eye," said before he commits to any role, it’s important for him to feel spiritually invested in the project.
"I don't want to step in something that I don't believe in any way because it's going to destroy it for everybody else involved," he added. "If you don't fully love and embrace the character that you are inhabiting, it will show on screen. I always want to give the people that I'm working with and the people who are going to watch the movie the most of me."
In addition to being a man of God, Murray says he’s also family first.
He met his wife, Sarah Roemer, in 2014 while shooting the TV series "Chosen," and the two married the following year. They have two children.
Murray added that they don’t do the whole Hollywood thing.
"We keep the pack together. We have a very traditional home life,” he said. “We're not people who are typically out and going out. I'm not a good hobnobber. It's not my strong suit.
“I've gotta be honest. I'm more of a homebody."
For Murray, keeping the pack together means taking his family with him whenever he shoots on location.
"My family and I, for instance, we don't split up the pack. We go everywhere,” he said. “My kids, my wife, they go everywhere we go. So, I'm on set chilling with Bruce Willis in Puerto Rico — they're there.
“Although, they're on the beach, very different."
Murray, whose career was launched after a role on TV’s "Gilmore Girls" in 2000, has since starred in both movies and TV series, including "Freaky Friday," "A Cinderella Story," and "House of Wax."
Since then, Murray has ventured into more faith- and family-focused entertainment, including the 2014 "Left Behind" remake and several TV movies for the Lifetime and Hallmark channels.
Murray, a practicing Christian, has not been afraid to display his faith publicly and on social media.
In past media interviews, Murray has spoken about instilling a good "moral compass" in his children. One of the ways he and his wife do that is by praying at every meal.
"Having the fear of God is vital because, to be honest, what do you have to lose if you have no fear of that?" he asked in a 2020 interview with Page Six. "If you have no fear of God it would be chaos here."
"If you have no fear of God it would be chaos here," he added. "We read the Bible, I start the day reading a chapter. We teach the kids about Jesus and who Jesus was and the story and we do church on Sundays.”
