Chad Michael Murray is well known for playing a charismatic leading man in movies like A Cinderella Story and Freaky Friday (and of course his hit TV show One Tree Hill) in the early 2000s, and most recently made a comeback to the big screen in one of 2025’s movies, Freakier Friday. But what’s his dating game been like in real life? The actor just revealed how he ended up dating his wife, and my jaw dropped over how he first asked her out.
Murray has been with fellow actress Sarah Roemer for over a decade now. The couple got married in September 2014 and have since had three kids together. Here’s what the actor said about how their romance began:
On a film set. But we never dated. We didn’t really talk to each other… I don’t even know if I’ve ever told the story… We finished filming, and I didn’t want to step on any toes. I’m just not that guy… I couldn’t get her off my mind. And so I just walked over and I said, ‘When your relationship ends—’cause it will—give me first shot at the title.’ That’s it. And I just left that little nugget and moved on. I waited for a few months, and then the phone rang.
Talk about confidence! I highly recommend that most men don’t use this line on women when asking them out, especially if they are already dating someone else, but hey, Murray knew he had to shoot his shot, and surely both of them are happy he did. The set the pair met on was the Crackle series Chosen which also starred Milo Ventimiglia, Brandon Routh, and Rose McGowan.
While it seems like Chad Michael Murray has an effortless dating life per this story from Cosmopolitan, the actor also said in the interview that he found the pursuit “incredibly hard” during the Cinderella Story days because he had “far more insecurities than you could imagine” about everything from his teeth to getting stressed about how he should come across to others. Prior to meeting Roamer, Murray was also married to his One Tree Hill co-star Sophia Bush, which lasted one year before they got divorced.
Last year, the couple celebrated a decade together, and Murray shared the most adorable Instagram post in tribute to his wife, saying being with her has been “the best decade” of his life thus far and he’s hoping and praying for “at least 50 more anniversaries” with her. Check it out below:
How sweet are they? Chad Michael Murray has had a heck of a year, with the release of Freakier Friday. It’s the highest grossing comedy of 2025 so far with a $153 million haul at the box office, and positive reception from audiences (including through our Freakier Friday review).
When CinemaBlend spoke with the actor for the movie, he reflected on filming the Britney Spears scene in the original movie, and the sequel confirming one long-held theory about his character, Jake. You can rent/buy Freakier Friday on digital platforms, and look forward to its Disney+ and Blu-Ray release on November 12.