Freaky Friday's Chad Michael Murray Is All In To Return As Jake In A Sequel
Shortly before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA embarked upon a double strike together — WGA has been striking since May 1, with SAG-AFTRA joining them on July 14 — plans were announced for a long-awaited "Freaky Friday" sequel, hopefully reuniting stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. While all projects are on hold for right now, another star from the 2003 movie is definitely interested in returning: Chad Michael Murray, who played the love interest to both Curtis and Lohan (kind of), thanks to some confusing body-swapping.
In an interview with Vulture celebrating the movie's 20th anniversary, Murray said he'd definitely be down to play Jake again. "They announced it, and then everyone went on strike," the actor said. "So I think the development is on hold for the moment. It would be awesome to come back and have Jake come in and reenter the world of mayhem. It would only be that much more interesting having Jamie potentially play a grandma or Lindsay playing a mother and Jake entering that world in some weird, bizarre way or still a part of it. It would be fantastic. I'd be all in."
Chad Michael Murray admits he had no idea the movie would be such a big hit
"Freaky Friday," where Curtis and Lohan's mother and daughter swap bodies after hitting a rough period in their relationship — and which is a remake of the 1976 version that stars Barbara Harris and a young Jodie Foster — has become a beloved teen classic over the years, and proved to be an incredibly successful venture for Disney to boot. So did Murray know that it would be successful right from the very beginning? Not at all, as he told Vulture.
"Can I say the truth?" Murray asked before going on to say what appears to be his truth. "I didn't know. Oblivious 19-year-old alert. I didn't know until I read an article the following year and I saw that Disney had the top movie in the action genre with "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the top comedy with "Freaky Friday" and the top animated movie ["Finding Nemo"]. That's when I realized it was successful. But I was just a kid running around, trying to make movies and live out a dream."
Murray also was following an important rule that he apparently still sticks to today: "Also, I was told to never read reviews. I still don't."
What was the audition process like for Murray on Freaky Friday?
It's probably not shocking that, as Murray told Vulture, he auditioned for the role of Jake in "Freaky Friday" alongside some of his teen heartthrob contemporaries, including Jared Padalecki (whom Murray starred alongside during his brief time on "Gilmore Girls"). Asked whether or not he understood how important this particular audition was, Murray said, "As an actor, every single audition is a make or break. And I say that with all the hysterical comedy that comes with it. But I do remember being an overconfident 19-year-old. And I don't know where that stemmed from. I think I had far more confidence than brains. So when I walked into the room, I knew I was in the right place at the right time."
Years after his audition, Murray learned from "Freaky Friday's" director, Mark Waters, that he actually earned the part incredibly quickly. The two worked together on a forthcoming Netflix original film, "Mother of the Bride," and Murray says Waters told him the whole story: "Oddly enough, I just worked with Mark in Thailand about a month ago. Twenty years later, he told me, 'It's funny. I knew right away from the moment that you started acting in the scene with Lindsay. I could tell just from her reaction to you being in the room.' I don't know how he meant it. I just know that he saw a reaction he was hoping to get, and the rest is history."
Fans still remember Chad Michael Murray specifically for Freaky Friday
Believe it or not, Murray still gets recognized for playing Jake specifically, even though he's appeared in a ton of other projects. During his years as a teen idol, Murray starred in "One Tree Hill," paired up with Lohan's contemporary Hilary Duff for the teen rom-com "A Cinderella Story," and, as we mentioned, had a brief role on "Gilmore Girls" as a romantic rival to Padalecki's Dean. As he told Vulture, though, "Freaky Friday" turned out to be one of his most popular projects, and even in the most unexpected places, he's remembered for his turn as Jake.
Asked about his "all-time freakiest" reaction from a fan of the film, Murray recalled, "I was in Thailand. We were at a grocery store in Phuket. The girl did not speak English very well but spoke it enough to have a small conversation. And she just went up to me and said, 'Jake, Freaky Friday.'" I smiled and was so awestruck. I take a 23-hour flight and she can identify me!"
"Freaky Friday" is available to stream on Disney+ now.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.