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Teen Times: Teen idol Tyler Hilton is just a small-town boyMay 17, 2006
By Carolyn Murphy
Captain Shreve junior
Few can forget the raspy-voiced, bright-eyed Elvis Presley from the Oscar-nominated film "Walk the Line." With charisma and gelled hair, he lit up the stage with Johnny Cash. But what theatergoers probably don't know is that even though a musician, he was still just a small town boy from California doing what he loved.
Tyler Hilton, a teen icon starring in the hit TV show "One Tree Hill" as well as "Walk the Line," could be headed towards super star status. But he credits his success right back to his hometown roots.
"Everyone in my family could play the guitar and there was always music in our house," said Hilton, who was in Shreveport recently to perform at a private birthday party.
Never embracing voice or formal guitar lessons, Hilton learned mostly from his family. Tyler's mom is a teacher, who insisted he make good grades. He is a sibling to one sister, stepbrother and stepsister.
"The only great thing I ever took out of music lessons was being able to read music," Hilton said. "Sometimes my dad would come home and teach me things on the piano or I would just learn by ear. Growing up, I learned to play a lot of Elvis Presley songs which were easy to play."
This childhood memory ended up benefiting him in the future for the "Walk the Line" auditions.
He got his start in the entertainment world playing at local coffeehouses and town gigs.
"I would just play wherever I could," Hilton said. "After making a small CD, a reviewer saw it and liked what he heard. He signed me just two weeks before I was going to college in Boston," Hilton said.
After breaking into the music scene an opportunity came up for musicians in a Johnny Cash biopic. His agent suggested he go to the audition and play.
"They called me back to the audition and asked me if I knew any Elvis songs. I had grown up playing his music and I guess they thought I looked like him, so I got the part. It was exciting!" Hilton said.
Hilton said working together with Joaquin Phoenix, who played Johnny Cash, and Reese Witherspoon, who played June Carter Cash, was a humbling and nervous experience.
"(Phoenix and Witherspoon) were nervous to play for the first time in front of musicians, while I was nervous to act for the first time in front of such experts. But we all had a good time together," Hilton said.
Although a celebrity in the teen scene, Hilton is still inspired and grateful for his fans today.
"Teens today are precocious and are open receptacles for anything," Hilton said. "The hardest thing about growing up at that age is finding oneself and having confidence."
While he finds himself blessed to have such a great opportunity, he wants to do more. His goals for the future include going back to college, possibly pursuing writing and improving his acting.
Hilton also had some words of advice for his younger fans. "The entertainment business involves a ton of practicing," Hilton said. "You constantly have to want to get better at what you do."
Who knows what the future holds for him? He is currently working on a new movie called "Charlie Bartlett" and continuing with his music.
"I don't do this for the fame, money or popularity," Hilton said. "My career is about doing what I love."
