// INTERVIEW
Think you know Tyler Hilton from watching him as Chris Keller on One Tree Hill? We're here to tell you that the actor/singer is nothing like the smug jerk he plays on TV. We chatted with Tyler recently to get the scoop on OTH, his new star-packed flick, Charlie Bartlett (which stars Anton Yelchin, Kat Dennings, Lauren Collins, Aubrey Graham, and Jake Epstein), and more. Catch up with this California cutie.
So what's your take on your OTH character, Chris Keller? Do you relate to him at all?
He's a real jerk, but it's really fun to play. He wasn't mean like Murphy -- he's just really insecure. What I really relate to is I know a lot of people like that -- cocky, record store employees that make you feel so stupid, like, "Ugh! White Stripes? How mainstream." In my first episode of One Tree Hill, Peyton says to Chris something like, "I guess you're working in the record store because you can't be an artist yourself -- those who can't do, sell records." I'm doing another episode for this season (it's on May 5), and it's funny to see Chris again. He's been on the road, and he's been famous. He's just so out there! He's cocky, [but] he lives on a bus by himself -- he has no friends. He's just a sad character, but he's so fun to play.
Are you gonna be in season five?
It's so weird -- I never thought I'd be on a TV show! Definitely didn't even think I'd be on season three or four. I always love coming back and doing Chris Keller, and they always have these great ideas that are hard to say no to. Your new movie, Charlie Bartlett comes out in August. Give us the scoop on your character, Murphey Bivens.
He's the school drug dealer. He's a bit older than everyone else: he's probably 19 or 20 and probably flunked out. He beats on people, and he has his little crony [who] films all these fights -- he loves watching himself on camera fighting. He's out there, such an interesting character.
He's so not Chris Keller!
[It] was real cool getting into him. I had a Mohawk for the movie, so I had a Mohawk for the most of last year. I had a shaved head after the movie, just to start over again. It looked cool short. I'm just growing my hair back. [I had a] tattoo on my neck, and I had to get my ears pierced. It was crazy.
A real tattoo?
Not a real tattoo. Real earrings though. They were like, "We're going to give you fake ones." I'm like, "OK." Then I did so much fighting in the movie, they were like, "No, they're gonna fall out we gotta pierce them." Oh geez.
Are you still rocking pierced ears?
No, I wore them for a long time, but I don't know. As my hair started growing back, it looked less and less like it made sense really.
Between OTH and Walk the Line, you've played two characters who are musicians. Are you trying to get away from that now?
I wasn't trying to get away from anything. I dig everything I've done a ton. Good movies come around so rarely -- I can do music all the time, but I've only done two movies in my life. How did fluffy-haired Tyler Hilton end up being a drug dealer in a movie? I have no idea. Just random, so I had to do it -- this movie was so cool, I had to do it.
You're pretty tight with your fans. How do you do it?
Ever since I was 14 or 15, I had a message board on my website. It's weird -- I know some of these people by name, face, and personally, just because they come to so many shows and they're always on the message boards. They go from being faceless people on the boards, to people that end up being in your life a lot because they come to most of the shows on road trips. They have a great community going on. So many people have met and become great friends through online message boards.
You should start a dating service on your boards!
I know, but I gotta get more guys on there. It's all girls.
And on that note, you were featured in up-and-coming country singer, Taylor Swift's video for "Teardrops on My Guitar." Are you guys dating? (That'd be cute -- Taylor and Tyler!)
Oh no, no no no. She just turned 17 -- she's a youngin
The Road Mix: Music From The Television Series One Tree Hill, Vol. 3 is in stores now, and Tyler's obviously featured on it -- this time, with acoustic ballad, "You'll Ask For Me."
