As a kid who grew up on the Disney comedy Freaky Fridaywhen I hear Britney Spears’ “… Baby One More Time,” it’s impossible not to think about the scene where Chad Michael Murray’s Jake sings the song from the top of his lungs. Ahead of getting hyped for his return in the Freakier Friday releasewe spoke to the actor about filming that scene, and he had a funny story that makes me think about it in a whole different way.
Since Freaky Friday was actually Chad Michael Murray’s first movie, during the Freakier Friday press junket in Los Angeles, I had to ask about what it was like for him to film that scene that still lives so rent free in my brain. In his words:
Singing Britney Spears. Absolutely terrifying. You’re like 19 years old and can’t sing and you’re just gonna go for it. And the best part was, I remember that we were shooting in a neighborhood and we had a noise ordinance, but it was like 11 o’clock at night when we were about to finish up. And I’m singing this song in the middle of the neighborhood and all the neighbors are piling up and they’re all watching, which just makes it all that much better.
As you may recall, Chad Michael Murray’s character of Jake decides to serenade Jamie Lee Curtis’ Tess with the Britney Spears song from outside her house after hitting it off at his coffee shop. But the fun twist is Tess isn’t actually Tess, it’s her daughter Anna, and she’s swapped bodies with her mom after a supernatural occurrence at a Chinese restaurant.
I love his story about being a young actor who was new to the business who was told to sing loudly in an actual neighborhood until neighbors started to catch on and acted as his audience. Murray also said this:
But, it was great. I’m so grateful that [director Mark Waters] came up with this idea and it’s gotten to live on.
While it might have been embarrassing at the time, it obviously turned out hilarious and is fondly remembered by many. It goes to show that actors just have to do the “terrifying” thing all the time and hope it stands the test of time. Murray’s comments come as he’s set to return as Jake in Freakier Friday. Per the latest trailer, we know that Jake will be in the picture when Anna, Tess, Anna’s teen daughter and to-be step-daughter all get body swapped. The two teens decide to pay Jake a visit in order to sabotage Anna’s upcoming wedding.
Previously, Murray has shared his honest thoughts on Jake, and how he shouldn’t have started dating Anna as “sloppy seconds” after having a crush on her mom. He’s also talked about a funny backstory idea he had for Jake going into Freakier Friday.
As Freakier Friday’s place on the 2026 movie release calendar draws closer, we also spoke to Lindsay Lohan about the Parent Trap reunion in the movie. It hits theaters on August 8.
