Before Chad Michael Murray was known as Lucas Scott in One Tree Hill and Austin Ames in A Cinderella Story, he played bad boy Tristan in Gilmore Girls, wanting Rory’s attention. Despite his character and Jared Padalecki’s Dean not exactly getting along on screen, Murray has revealed why working with his on-screen nemesis was actually the best.
In an interview with TODAY, the Gilmore Girls alum looked back at his time as Tristan on the WB series, as well as his time working with his costars, specifically Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki before he was Sam Winchester. Padalecki portrayed Dean, Rory’s first boyfriend. Tristan and Dean got into it a number of times, fighting over Rory’s affection, and Chad Michael Murray reveals why working with Padalecki was the best:
My favorite things about Tristan were typically scenes with Dean. Just coming up with just ridiculous names that we would call each other. These fight sequences where you're such a jerk, and Jared is like, the sweetest guy in the whole wide world. We get along so well. And we're having it out. And it was always fun for me to be on set and for us to have these scenes where we absolutely despise each other, but yet, behind closed doors, you know, off set, we're just palling around and two big goofy kids.
It's always nice to know that actors who have to be enemies on screen are really the best of friends off screen. Gilmore Girls isn’t the only project Chad Michael Murray and Jared Padalecki worked on together, as the two were in the House of Wax remake in 2009. Even today the former costars are still friends and occasionally talk from time to time. Tristan and Dean’s relationship was not very friendly, especially when it came to Rory. However, I would say that none of Rory’s suitors were nice to each other, but they are friends IRL, and that’s what matters.
Adorably enough, Chad Michael Murray is not the only guy from Gilmore Girls to show his admiration for Jared Padalecki. On a few occasions, This Is Us’ Milo Ventimiglia, who played Jess, another of Rory’s boyfriends, has shown his true “Team Dean” colors and occasionally the two will interact with each other on social media. Gilmore Girls may have ended years ago, but it looks like the Gilmore guys will always remember their time on the series.
Though not too many may remember Chad Michael Murray’s time on Gilmore Girls, which was his first recurring role, he quickly earned himself a heartthrob title in the early 2000s. And the fact that his relationship with Jared Padalecki was a good one even though they didn’t get along on screen, makes it all the more touching. Here's hoping that Chad Michael Murray and Jared Padalecki team up for another project soon!
