Chad Michael Murray Says ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ Is a ‘Place to Heal’ for Cal

[SAG-AFTRA cleared the cast to do publicity for the upcoming season.]

Get ready to fall in love with a new place and characters when The CW takes you to Sullivan’s Crossing on October 4.

The series, based on Robyn Carr’s (Virgin River) books, follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), who returns to her childhood home of Sullivan’s Crossing to distance herself from the fallout of her business partner being indicted for fraud. (She’s charged with negligence.) Her estranged father, Sully (Scott Patterson), runs the rustic and remote campground. There, she crosses paths with old friends and new ones, including Cal (Chad Michael Murray). Needless to say, things are about to get more complicated for her.

Below, Murray introduces us to the world of Sullivan’s Crossing.

Welcome back to The CW after One Tree Hill and Riverdale.

Chad Michael Murray: Thank you. I know, it’s my home. It’s where I started everything so long ago, back in 2000, and here I am. It’s kind of a very coming-of-age, spiritual moment. It’s cool.

What will surprise viewers about Cal?

I think the more layers we peel back, you’re really going to discover how much hardship he’s really been through and overcome in his life and how grounded he is through it all. One of the things that I admire about him is he’s been kicked and kicked and kicked, but he still continues to push through, find peace, and guide himself with a moral compass.

What can you tease about those hardships?

There’s really not much I can give away other than he’s been through a lot, and that’s why we call him the mystery man because we don’t know so much, and we will peel those layers back as the show continues, and as the seasons continue, you’ll discover more and more and more about him. Unless you’ve read through the books, then you’re going to know a little bit more. [Laughs]

What does Sullivan’s Crossing mean to him?

It’s a place to heal, and I believe that to be true for every character in the story, but very much for Cal. It’s a place that you come to heal. It’s a place you come to have a rebirth and grow and find yourself. It’s a place for family. It’s a place for self-discovery.

Michael Tompkins/Fremantle

Cal and Maggie don’t get off to the best start with their first meeting, but what’s the impression of her that he walks away from that with?

She’s a little firecracker, and I think that that sparks his interest. He sees a woman who’s intelligent and grounded, and strong.

What will it take for her to warm up to him?

You just have to wait to see. The walls can be broken down. You just gotta know the way.

And what will it take for him to tell her what Cal’s short for?

[Laughs] Just like everybody that we come across in our lives, it takes a certain amount of time before people open up and they’re willing to give up certain pieces of themselves. You’re going to find that as we go along, certain aspects of Cal will become more out there. They’ll be more available to everyone around him. So you’re going to discover that in a bit. Not yet, but in a bit.

Because of that early encounter with Maggie, Cal has that awkward moment talking to Sully about her not realizing who she is to Sully, which I love. Talk about Cal and Sully’s dynamic. We see that Cal feels free to be open with him.

There’s something that inspires Cal about Sully. Sully is an inspirational character, and I think Cal sees a lot of himself in Sully. He’s a man who’s been through a lot in his life. And again, we’ll find out more as we go. But through it all, Sully really makes everybody feel like family and tries to make everybody feel at home. He’s there for everybody. And that inspires Cal.

How was it reuniting with Scott? Because I don’t think you two ever acted together on Gilmore Girls, did you?

We saw each other all the time. Scott and I have had many a conversation over the course of the last 20-something years. It’s crazy to think that it’s been that long Scott and I have known each other. But yeah, here we are 20 years later and we’ve done multiple projects together and never actually worked together. That’s the funny thing. We’ve been in a movie as well and never actually worked together. My wife [Sarah Roemer] worked with him. And so we have this really symbiotic, cool relationship with Scott through all the years. It was really cool. It felt comfortable knowing that I was going to a place that I knew.

And now you’re finally working together on screen, especially with this dynamic.

One hundred percent. It’s a really fun dynamic that we’re going to get to play with over the years, and God willing, it can bring forth wonderful fruit that everyone enjoys.

Michael Tompkins/Fremantle

Who else is important in Cal’s life?

I can’t really give much away. Right now, as far as everybody’s concerned, Cal is a loner. He’s a nomad, and he’s on this journey of, like I said, self-discovery and healing. And until we start to really discover what that healing’s all about, you’re going to know very little about the man.

Does he have any idea what that healing even looks like?

He does, yes. He has an idea of what healing he needs, but it’s a lot easier said than done. A lot of us want to put things behind us, a lot of us want to move forward, but it’s just not always easy. Things hang on, things grab hold of you. There’s always pain, and mourning time that we have in life for all sorts of things that we’ve been through. So I think it’s different for everyone.

One of the most appealing parts of shows like this is how much the location becomes a place you want to live yourself. So, what’s especially appealing about Sullivan’s Crossing?

Because we shoot in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I will tell you, this place is magic. Sullivan’s is a place; it is a destination. It is a character in the show, very much like another show that I did. It feels like home. There’s just something so reminiscent of old times for me about it. But there’s also something so fresh and free and beautiful here. The landscape is pristine and so picturesque. We’ve got a little urban here, and we’ve got a lot of nature, and there’s a lot of places for these characters to heal and to cleanse themselves. It’s quite something. It really is. It’s a hidden gem.

Yeah, just watching, it’s gorgeous, and it feels relaxing.

When you’re on set, and you’re filming, and you look out, and you’re like, “I cannot believe that this is where you go to work,” it’s quite something. You’re on a lake, and the crew’s taking a swim in the lake during lunch, and everyone’s just laying out and breathing in the fresh air and looking at the landscape. It’s gorgeous. It really is.

What else should viewers know about this show going in?

It only gets better and better and better, and I can promise by Episode 5 that it’s going to have its little hook sunk in and be pulling at those heartstrings because you’ll care deeply for these characters at that point. I really believe it. And what we’ve got for Season 2… [Laughs] It’s incredible. I feel very happy with where everything’s been going and the journeys that we’re on.

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Is Episode 5 when we’re going to start peeling back the layers and learning more about Cal?

Oh, we’re going to learn a lot. … I don’t know if that’s specifically the episode. I know that when I sat down to view them, once we hit [Episode] 5, I was invested. My heart was just completely in, and I remember caring about these characters and what’s going to come of them, from Sully to Cal to Maggie to everybody on this adventure. It was one of those, OK, alright, let’s see where we’re going.

We know there’s going to be a Season 2. What can you say about the Season 1 finale and how it ends? Is there a major cliffhanger?

Oh my gosh. Watch out. It’s like jumping out of a plane. It’s not even a cliffhanger. It’s like jumping out of a plane and having a 50/50 shot of whether the parachute’s going to open. It’s good. It’s a heck of a cliffhanger. It’s a lot, and it’s life. What’s really special about this show is there is a character for every single person to identify with. Someone is going to feel that one of these characters reflects a little bit of their life, and that’s really unique about Sullivan’s and what’s really going to, I think, hit home for everyone.

Is that ending more of an emotional or life-or-death one?

Oh gosh. Everything. Literally, it’s a little bit of everything.

Sullivan’s Crossing, Series Premiere, Wednesday, October 4, 8/7c, The CW