One of the greatest joys of Riverdale is its zeal for booking former teen idols to play its adult characters—a list that includes the late Luke Perry, Skeet Ulrich, and Molly Ringwald. This season, the show hit the motherlode by landing former One Tree Hill star Chad Michael Murray to play Edgar Evernever—the leader of “The Farm,” the cult that has become the bane of Betty Coopers existence. This weeks episode was Edgars busiest and most successful yet: hes got a bevy of new acolytes strolling the halls of Riverdale High in the cults signature all-white garb, and hes also won the battle against Betty for the soul of her mother, Alice Cooper (for now, anyway). Playing a cult leader might require traveling to some dark places, but rest assured: Murray is having a blast.
Murrays interest in the show was piqued by his wife, actress and model Sarah Roemer—a huge Riverdale fan. “Like a year and a half ago, I was shooting in Savannah, Georgia, and she started binge watching during the kids naps, and got hooked right in,” he said in an interview. When the role came up, it was Roemer who told her husband, “Youre doing it!”
“Anything I can do please the Mrs., Im in,” Murray said. And who wouldnt want to play a charismatic cult leader? “As an actor, it's kind of on that list of things like, You want to play a cult leader? The answer is always yes.”
A deep dive into cult-ology helped Murray determine that these sorts of leaders have the “gift of gab”—meaning theyre able to say what each person they encounter wants or needs to hear in that moment. “Everyone has a different love language, right? Some people are very affectionate. Some people like gifts. Some people like cards. Some people need to get a good pat on the back and feel wanted or needed,” Murray said. ”Thats really how Edgar was born—just finding a way to fine-tune each individual relationship so that the treated each person differently.”
Those who came of age in the aughts likely remember Murray from his roles on one of two teen dramas—either as One Tree Hill protagonist Lucas Scott or as Tristan Dugray, one of Rorys many emotionally troubled, if most short-lived, love interests on Gilmore Girls. Playing a dark role like this, then, is a bit of a gear shift. That said, Murray has had a blast returning to the teen drama space.
“Its trippy, but at the same time, Im loving every minute,” Murray said. “Ive really, truly have enjoyed being on Riverdale. What an incredible group of people to be around. Just a very loving and humble and kind set to be on from the cast, crew, producers, everybody involved. . . And its fun, because it may fall into the same teen culture, but at the same time Im not stuck in a box. Theres opportunity to really create a character and have a little bit more fun—within a certain parameter.”
“Lucas was very much the moral compass of One Tree Hill, and there [was] really no opportunity for me to step outside those boundaries,” Murray continued. But on Riverdale, hes gotten the chance to play the villain—or at least, a man assumed by many to be one. “I can take liberties in my choices that are fun,” Murray said. “As an actor, that's always incredibly fulfilling. I love that aspect of it.”
Another major perk of playing Edgar Evernever? The costumes, which include some folksy chambray shirts, the occasional vest, and yes, sometimes, all-white garb. “Some of the wardrobe, when I went in and we would try different things on. . .I loved it,” Murray said, adding that he at times wondered if he could keep some of his wardrobe on the way out. (Sadly, the answer was “no.”) “But there was some of it I really was digging,” Murray added. “I was like, Dude, I could rock this at the beach. . . . It was very comfortable. That was the other thing. Whenever we were in the all-white garments it was quite comfortable.”
“Not to mention, my family goes everywhere with me,” Murray added. “So I go home and I'm with my family. Whether we're in Vancouver—wherever we shoot all over the world. So it's a dream job for me. I get to go to work. Work with great people. Come home. Play with my kids and my wife and I'm good. I'm happy. Wouldn't trade it for anything. It's been a blessing.”
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