Chad Michael Murray almost didn\u2019t make it to Hollywood.<\/p>\n
The \u201cFreakier Friday\u201d actor, 43, revealed he suffered a near-death experience at age 15 that involved an emergency blood transfusion and a lengthy hospital stay. <\/p>\n
Opening up about the terrifying health scare, Murray \u2014\u00a0who got his big break as heartthrob Lucas Scott in \u201cOne Tree Hill\u201d<\/a> \u2014\u00a0shared that his intestines \u201chad twisted\u201d when he was just a teen.<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray at the UK premiere of \u201cFreaky Friday\u201d in London. Brett D. Cove \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray arrives at the annual TV Guide Awards. Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI was hospitalized for two and a half months. It was a lot,\u201d he recalled on the Friday, August 8, episode of the \u201cGreat Company\u201d\u00a0podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had surgery. I had internal bleeding, [and] I lost 50 percent of my blood. I was on my deathbed,\u201d the actor explained, adding he was \u201cin and out of consciousness\u201d and doesn\u2019t have many memories from that time.<\/p>\n \u201cI just remember seeing my father, the weakest I\u2019d ever seen him, and a priest at the end of my bed,\u201d\u00a0Murray said. \u201cThey\u2019re talking about last rites and all that stuff, and [the nurse] gave me a blood transfusion to save my life. It saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n One of Chad Michael Murray\u2019s headshots from his earlier acting days. Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray played teen heartthrob Lucas Scott in \u201cOne Tree Hill.\u201d Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n However, Murray wasn\u2019t out of the clear just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless, you\u2019re in there for two months and, you know, my organs shut down because you have blood all coagulated around them, and they had to wait till everything. So, anyway, I had to have a second surgery to clean everything up,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n He also disclosed that his two nurses, Sandy and Alana, inspired him to pursue his Hollywood dreams.<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray takes a selfie. chadmichaelmurray\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cAlana says to me, \u2018Oh gosh, you should model,\u2019\u201d he reminisced. \u201cI was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want to model. I want to be an actor. Like, I love film and television. I want to give this gift to other people.\u2019 She\u2019s like, \u2018Well, you can segue from modeling into acting. Look, when you get out, I\u2019m hooking you up with a modeling company I know.\u2019 And she meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n Murray said he hardly recognized himself after the scary ordeal. <\/p>\n \u201cI got out. I went from, like, 180 to 118 pounds. I was a skeleton when I got out,\u201d he said of being discharged from the monthslong hospital stay. \u201cIt was the scariest thing ever. I remember looking in the mirror the first time going, \u2018Who is that?\u2019 I cried [and] I couldn\u2019t believe that I was looking back at that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray said his nurses pushed him to pursue his dreams of going to Hollywood. Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray starred in the first six seasons of \u201cOne Tree Hill\u201d before leaving the successful series. Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n That experience, though, strengthened his bond with his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI started my relationship with God, and my relationship with my father became really close,\u201d Murray recalled. \u201cMy dad [was] raising five kids on his own [and] came to the hospital every single day, and he spent countless nights with me when he had four more kids at home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe man is tough as nails, and he did that for us. I\u2019m overly, like, beyond grateful. That\u2019s when our relationship really bonded,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Lindsay Lohan, left, and Chad Michael Murray in a scene from \u201cFreakier Friday.\u201d AP<\/p>\n Chad Michael Murray as Jake in \u201cFreakier Friday.\u201d Glen Wilson<\/p>\n Years after his near-death health scare, Murray\u2019s career skyrocketed. <\/p>\n He starred in the CW\u2019s \u201cOne Tree Hill\u201d from the pilot in 2003 to 2009, departing from the popular teen drama after Season 6 over an alleged contract negotiation dispute<\/a>.<\/p>\n Murray later returned to the series for one episode of the final season in 2012.<\/p>\n The star\u2019s other major role included starring alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as the latter\u2019s interest, Jake, in \u201cFreaky Friday\u201d (2003). Murray reprised his role as the hunky bad boy for the film\u2019s sequel, \u201cFreakier Friday,\u201d<\/a> out in theaters now. <\/p>\n