Quick Read
- Hilary Duff named Chad Michael Murray as her favorite onscreen love interest during an interview on The Tonight Show.
- The actress highlighted the iconic bleacher scene from A Cinderella Story as a peak moment of onscreen romantic chemistry.
- Chad Michael Murray is set to return to television in the fourth season of Sullivan’s Crossing, premiering April 20 on The CW.
In a nostalgic nod to early 2000s cinema, actress and singer Hilary Duff has officially declared Chad Michael Murray as her favorite onscreen love interest of all time. The revelation came during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Duff was asked to reflect on her storied career and the various actors she has shared the screen with over the decades.
The Enduring Legacy of A Cinderella Story
Faced with a list of notable former co-stars—including Penn Badgley from Gossip Girl and Yani Gellman from The Lizzie McGuire Movie—Duff did not hesitate to select Murray. The choice centers on their roles in the 2004 rom-com A Cinderella Story, in which Duff starred as Sam Montgomery and Murray played her romantic lead, Austin Ames. Duff specifically highlighted the film’s climactic bleacher scene as a standout moment of cinematic romance, noting the iconic rain-soaked confession as a highlight that still resonates with audiences today.
A New Generation Discovers the Classic
The choice is not merely a reflection of the past but a result of recent viewings. Duff shared that she has been revisiting the film with her own children, noting that the movie has maintained its cultural footprint. However, she admitted that her four-year-old daughter, Mae, has echoed the sentiments of many viewers regarding the plot’s central conceit: the difficulty of believing that Murray’s character could fail to recognize her behind a masquerade mask. Duff jokingly acknowledged that it remains the age-old question of the film that even her own household finds baffling.
Chad Michael Murray Returns to Television
While Duff’s comments have renewed interest in their past collaboration, Murray remains a fixture in contemporary television. The actor is currently preparing for the return of the drama Sullivan’s Crossing, which is based on the popular novels by Robyn Carr. The CW has confirmed that the fourth season of the series, which stars Murray alongside Morgan Kohan, is scheduled to premiere on April 20. The upcoming season promises to further develop the relationship between their characters, Maggie Sullivan and Cal, as they navigate new professional and personal challenges.
The resurgence of interest in Murray’s early 2000s work, coupled with his continued success in the long-running series Sullivan’s Crossing, highlights a rare career trajectory where an actor successfully bridges the gap between millennial nostalgia icons and current primetime network staples.