I met Chad Michael Murray today! I honestly can’t think of a better way to start this post. Back in June I decided to take a chance and I bought Hal-Con tickets with the hope that Chad Michael Murray would attend this year as he has in the past few years. In mid-August, his attendance was announced. I’ve seen him in the Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, Sullivan’s Crossing, A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and a few of his Netflix movies as well.
I knew Candice was a fan as well and that she would likely say yes to this adventure and sure enough she did. So off we went to Hal-con today.
I was definitely nervous in the line. Mostly worried that in the few minutes to chat with him, I’d make a fool out of myself somehow or forget to say what I had in mind. It was very surreal and I was so thankful to have Candice with me on this memory adventure.
When it was our turn to meet him, we went up and I introduced us and pulled out the Keith Scott Autobody hoodie that we had purchased on our trip to Wilmington NC. It was the perfect item for him to autograph because it opened up so much conversation.
Chad was very personable and generous with his time. I told him that we went to the bridge and did the full One Tree Hill Wilmington Tour. He shared a story about filming that intro on the bridge and how back then the bridge wasn’t actually paved. It was a wooden bridge with planks that were uneven. So when he would bounce the basketball, it would often go flying in a different direction. And then land below the bridge. We laughed at how the space under the bridge was definitely very sketchy. Ezra had lost his car in it when we were there. And Noah managed to fetch it out, so I saw what it was like under it.
Chad asked where I was from and he asked what I thought of Wilmington, because it had similarities to Halifax. I told him how much we loved it, and he shared that it was one of the few places that felt like home to him. He then shared how much it has changed since he had first moved there. It was smaller back then, and he really enjoyed how it felt much more than how it is now. He talked a bit about where his house was located and the feel of the area back then. It was really cool to get his take on the city.
We talked about how many different productions were filmed in Wilmington. He said way back there was a tax credit for filming companies. That’s why a lot of productions were done in Wilmington/North Carolina in general. Apparently, Marvel was going to create all of their movies there, but after Iron Man 3 there were some political issues, and the tax credit was removed. After that happened productions came less and less to that area, and Marvel pulled out completely.
I told Candice when we were in the line that I really hoped that he would do the talking. I thought it would be cool to hear something from him, and I was definitely happy with the interaction. I learned a few new things and have an appreciation for his thankfulness of his fans. He was even interacting with the line while we waited.
At the end, he snapped a ton of selfies with us, which gave us a pretty good laugh and we said goodbye. He is a really talented actor and it was awesome to get the opportunity to meet him in person. Definitely a memory I won’t forget.
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