Chad Michael Murray recently got to return to one of his first movie roles ever by starring in Freakier Friday with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis over 20 years later. Since he’s a father of three with wife Sarah Roemer nowadays, the actor recently shared what happened when he shared the 2003 Disney comedy with his kids, and it led to a lot of funny jabs at his expense.
Freakier Friday has been one of the more successful 2025 movie releases between making back its budget during its opening weekend before going on to make $135.4 million worldwide, making it the most successful comedy of the year (so far). Plus, it’s gotten high praise, as you can see in our Freakier Friday review, for example.
However, the actor's kids were tougher critics, as he recalled what it was like going down memory lane with his family:
So right before we went to shoot Freakier Friday, the day before, I sat them down to watch Freaky Friday, because they haven't watched a lot of my work. We just don't do that. But I wanted to show them, to take pride in your work, to not say, ‘I have to go to work.’ And so I go, ‘Well, this is what I'm going to do. So when I tell you guys, ‘Hey, guys, I get to work.’ And you're like, 'What do you mean? You're happy you're going to work?' 'Yes, I am.’ This is going to make a lot of people happy.
Murray shared the story in an interview with Newsweek while talking about how having a family, whom he calls “the pack,” changes the way he chooses his roles. The actor said that since he’s become a father, it’s “changed everything” in terms of how he picks projects, because he knows it will affect them at home and school. He also wants to look “cool” to his kids, which didn’t end up being the case regarding Freaky Friday. As he continued:
So we put it on. And boy, did they rip on me. ‘Really, Dad, what is wrong with your hair? What did you do? Ugh, Daddy.’ And then ‘Don't ever sing again, Dad. Whoa. Was that you really trying to sing?’ I'm saying, ‘Honey, no, that's supposed to be bad.’ However, I'm not a great singer, mind you, side note, which just makes it better. So they just picked on me the whole time.
Ah, yes, the curse of being a parent. No matter what you do, even if that’s being a teen heartthrob in a beloved Disney comedy, it’s near-impossible to seem cool.
Murray hilariously recalls his kids making fun of him the whole time for his appearance, singing voice and so forth. As he points out, Jake isn’t supposed to be good at singing, though. As Murray told CinemaBlend in our interview with him, filming his Britney Spears moment was very embarrassing for him because he had to belt “...Baby One More Time” in a real neighborhood at night, and people started taking notice. (He also confirmed a funny theory we had about Jake.)
Murray and Roemer have a 10-year-old son and two daughters who are around the ages of 8 and 2. The Freakier Friday actor said he and his family are called “the pack” because they “travel everywhere” together.
During the interview, Chad Michael Murray shared that being at home with his kids is “the greatest moments in life” and the No. 1 priority for him, along with his faith. It’s important for him to give his kids a “grounded life” so they primarily live in Buffalo, New York.
With all that said, it’s rather funny that they roasted him, considering Murray is considered “cool” by so many people.
You can check out Freakier Friday in theaters now.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
