'One Tree Hill' star returns to Wilmington sites featured in the hit TV show
Actor Chad Michael Murray still has a soft spot for coastal North Carolina.
This past weekend, Murray visited many of the sites made famous by the TV series "One Tree Hill," posting Instagram images of his walk down memory lane.
Among the images posted in the past three days are two of the most iconic locations in the series: The stoop of his fictitious family home and the bridge that his character is seen crossing in the pilot (and the opening credits for the early seasons).
"I spent many days on this porch pondering life’s great enigmas," he posted, with a photo of him once again sitting on the stoop. "Once a Scott, always a Scott."
A moody image of reliving his walk across the bridge even included him wearing a hoodie similar to the one he wore in the series. It was posted Wednesday.
"I returned to the place it all started. Feels like yesterday," he posted with the photo. "Ok, maybe not. It feels like 15 years ago I walked this bridge for the 1st time. I’m so humbled and grateful that so so so many of you went on the adventure along with us - and still do today. Much love to you friends! "
The photos have gotten around 170,000 likes each on Instagram.
Murray was in Wilmington over the weekend for the Eyecon3000 convention, which included a Saturday meet-and-greet session with fans of the show.
Warner Brothers filmed 188 episodes of "One Tree Hill" in Wilmington from 2003 to 2012 and Murray was a key character, playing Lucas Scott in 132 of the episodes. He left the show at the end of the sixth season.
The plot told a story of high school kids in a small North Carolina town, and the series has maintained a devote following thanks to reruns.
In fact, Murray had a message for those most enthusiastic of those fans in one of his posts: "PLEASE refrain from writing on this kind person's home," he posted with a photo of him sitting on the porch. "They are wonderful people & let’s show them the respect we have for OTH by always respecting the property."
Murray became a star in the role, after doing shorter stints on teen dramas "Dawson's Creek" and "Gilmore Girls." ("Dawson's Creek" was another series filmed in on the NC coast.)
He went onto do both films and other series, including roles in "Agent Carter," "Texas Rising" and "Fruitvale Station."
This was not the first time Murray has gotten nostalgic about the film's old settings.
He posted a photo from Wilmington in October 2017, with a view of the Cape Fear River across from the battleship USS North Carolina.
"Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better and everything's safe," he wrote in the caption.
This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 3:31 PM with the headline "'One Tree Hill' star returns to Wilmington sites featured in the hit TV show."