Chad Michael Murray trained hard for steamy Christmas movie 'The Merry Gentlemen'

Chad Michael Murray is bearing all in his new Christmas movie — literally.

To get in shape for "The Merry Gentlemen," the actor took six-hour dance lessons four times a week, he told Variety in an interview published Wednesday.

"It was a combination of everything from cardio to cyro to vitamins, supplements and clean eating. If God didn't make it, I didn't eat it," Murray joked to the outlet. "Cryo" refers to cryotherapy, a process in which extreme cold is used to freeze and remove abnormal tissue, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

In "Merry Gentlemen" — out Wednesday on Netflix — he plays a handyman turned exotic dancer who tries to save a local diner at Christmastime.

There are already early signs of success − "Merry Gentlemen" has dethroned "Hot Frosty," another yuletide love story on the Netflix Top 10 list.

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Though it certainly raised eyebrows when first announced, the movie is a lot less scandalous than you would imagine, the "One Tree Hill" actor told Variety. "It's not gratuitous by any means," he said, "It's in the perfect space where people won't feel wrong having it on the TV in the background."

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Murray is a veteran heartthrob, becoming a mainstay of TV teen dramas like "Dawson's Creek" and "Gilmore Girls" in the early 2000s before landing a career-defining role as Lucas Scott on "One Tree Hill."

Now, at 43, the actor can still tap into his swoon-worthy status. But it's not as easy as it used to be, he told Variety.

"It's a really difficult thing to deal with. You start getting grays in, and people start talking. That stuff can get in your head, it can affect you," Murray said. "I can't imagine the weight that a lot of people do feel, going through it on a daily basis. I'm sure as time continues to move on, and someone says, 'What happened to Chad? Why'd he melt?' it may affect me."

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As for his "One Tree Hill" glory days, the actor told Variety, despite rumors, there are no formal talks for a reboot that he has been involved in. News broke in September that a "One Tree Hill" sequel series was in early development at Netflix.

The fanbase is hungry though, and Murray said, "If this show does come to fruition, I'm so excited for them to be able to go through this journey — whatever that journey may be."

"Merry Gentlemen" joins another somewhat sultry holiday movie out this year: "Hot Frosty," which centers around a woman falling for a sexy snowman. Together the two films challenge a well-honored tradition for Christmas films to be chaste.

Murray himself has starred in a number of those films, including "The Wise Men" and "Angel Falls Christmas" which premiered on the Hallmark and Great American Family network, respectively.

Contributing: Pamela Avila

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chad Michael Murray's Merry Gentlemen required 6-hour dance lessons