Welcome to the Chad Michael Murray renaissance, we’re so glad to be here.
The noughties teen heartthrob spent years plastered on bedroom walls thanks to stints in One Tree Hill, Freaky Friday and A Cinderella Story, and now, a decade on, he’s seemingly everywhere again.
From the TV adaptation of Sullivan’s Crossing to Netflix romcom, Mother Of The Bride, we’re thrilled to see the now 43-year-old star getting regular screen time again. His newest gig, however, is possibly his most titillating, with Chad set to star in a new Christmas movie, The Merry Gentlemen.
The spicy flick is far from your typical festive rom-com. In fact, it will likely have you wishing wall posters were still a thing.
Before you become a little too distracted by the show’s imagery, let us walk you through the details.
What Is The Plot Of The Merry Gentlemen?
Netflix’s new holiday film, The Merry Gentlemen follows the story of big city dancer, Ashley (played by Britt Robertson) who travels home for the holidays only to discover her parent’s small-town venue is under threat of closure.
To save the business, she stages an all-male, Christmas-themed revue—as one does—and in turn gifts us all a shirtless Chad Michael Murray. It’s like a festive Magic Mike.
For Chad, who plays the film’s romantic lead, Luke, it was an opportunity to push himself and the Christmas film genre.
“We got to change things up a little bit and push the envelope,” he told Tudum. “We take a lot of the tropes that have been created for this particular genre and poke fun at them in such a tasteful way.”
He also revealed he took his preparation for the role seriously.
“It was something that I’d never done. I said, ‘Oh, this scares the crap out of me. I’ve got to do this,’ ” he reveals. “I made a bunch of phone calls and said, ‘Let’s get in as much rehearsal time as possible.’ ”
If the first look images and trailer (scroll on to watch) aren’t enough to lure you in, we don’t know what will, but Chad Michael Murray creating his own shirtless calendar to celebrate the film’s launch might just do it.
When Is The Merry Gentlemen Released?
The Merry Gentlemen will drop on Netflix on November 20, right in time for the festive season—Christmas can’t come soon enough.
Is There A Trailer For The Merry Gentlemen?
Oh yes, there certainly is and it is a feast for the eyes.
“There’s got to be a way to get people excited about this place again,” Britt Robertson’s character, Ashley, says in the teaser, to which Chad’s character responds: “You think male strippers are the answer?”
Ashley quickly corrects him: “Male dance revue.” Watch the full merry clip below.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
