Tyler Hilton Loves That Everyone Wanted To “Punch” Chris Keller

Tyler Hilton brought one of TV’s most hated (and simultaneously beloved) villains to life when he played Chris Keller on One Tree Hill. Throughout Seasons 2 to 4, the smooth-talking, arrogant musician wreaks havoc on the lives of the show’s main characters, particularly Haley James and Nathan Scott. (When he came back as a main character in Season 9, he was slightly less obstructive.) And yet, the Los Angeles-based actor — who is also a real-life musician and currently on tour “celebrating the music of One Tree Hill” — remains a fan favorite.

“It’s funny to play the person that everybody wants to punch,” Hilton, 41, says. “Even Sophia Bush said something like that to me. We would end a take and she’d be like, ‘I hate you so much right now. I want to punch you.’”

Despite the occasional harsh feedback, Hilton didn’t mind playing the small-town troublemaker — in fact, he says Chris is his favorite role to date. “If I could play villains forever, I definitely would. A lot of times the people that play really good, honest people on-screen are usually the ones who are total d*cks off-screen.”

It’s not a surprise to him that Chris’ antics — like accidentally starting a fire in Karen’s Cafe or kissing Haley in a Batman costume, disguised as Nathan — stir up a lot of emotions, but he also sees the character’s redemptive qualities. “You might hate him at first, but people come to respect him because he’s so ruthlessly honest,” the Southern California native says. “I think all of us secretly want to be that uninhibited.”

Here, Hilton discusses his villainous One Tree Hill days, his relationship with the cast, and his thoughts on the Netflix reboot.

Elite Daily: What was the most memorable part of working on such an iconic show?

Tyler Hilton: I was in my late teens, early 20s when it first started. The whole cast was each other's best friends — almost like a college friend group.

It was special because we filmed in this tiny town in Wilmington, North Carolina, pre-social media. So we had no idea how popular it was until we were doing press with crazy crowds and tables getting flipped over. We couldn’t believe it. It was all of our first time feeling that level of fame.

ED: What are some of the things fans have said to you about Chris?

TH: When the show was first airing and I was in the middle of breaking up Nathan and Haley, people would come up to me all the time, legitimately angry. They’d say, “I literally hate your character.” No one was asking me, “Can I get a picture?”

I started to worry that I f*cked up my music career and that people would not be able to separate me from the character. But there was also a part of me that secretly loved it because it meant the storyline was working.

It’s funny to me that one of the most-loved TV couples broke up (temporarily) because I had a crush on a girl in real life.

ED: Do you have a favorite Chris scene?

TH: There was a sequence where Chad Michael Murray and I woke up in bed together. We’re naked and cuddling each other — I think the scene is ultimately somebody’s dream, but it was just so funny.

ED: What do you think was his worst moment?

TH: Breaking up Nathan and Haley. A lot of that got written into the show because Joy [Bethany Joy Lenz, who plays Haley] and I caught feelings for each other off-set. In hindsight, it’s funny to me that one of the most-loved TV couples broke up (temporarily) because I had a crush on a girl in real life.

ED: Have you kept in touch with any of the primary cast?

TH: Joy and I were great friends and we’ve stayed that way. I’ve been talking to her a lot more over the last couple of years as she was getting ready for her book to come out. And my wife, Megan Park, keeps in touch with Hilarie [Burton] and Sophia a lot. We always end up hanging out.

ED: As much hatred as Chris gets in early seasons, fans loved him in Season 9. What was that experience like, reprising the character after five seasons away?

TH: Every season, they asked me to come back and I said no. I wanted to stay focused on my music, and I didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle. By the time Season 9 came along, I was sick of trying to do the right thing for my career. I just wanted to do something fun, like coming back to the show. Ironically, it ended up being great for my music career, too.

At the time, they only showed me the first page of the first episode, where Dan Scott and Chris Keller are in a car together and they both have guns. Dan asks, “Are you ready?” And Chris says, “Chris Keller doesn’t like this.” I was like, “I am so in.” I wanted to know what happened.

If I got to do Chris Keller again — if I got to play him for the rest of my life — I’d be like, ‘That's great.’

ED: There’s an OTH reboot in development at Netflix. How did you hear about it?

TH: Kate Voegele [who played Mia Catalano] texted me an article about it and said something like, “Here we go.” I was like, “Oh my God.” So I texted Sophia and Hilarie — I had heard some things since they’ve been in conversations about it.

We’ll see what happens. We all know that it’s never real until it’s real. But I think everybody wants to do it again. Everyone loved that time of life and those characters. If I got to do Chris Keller again — if I got to play him for the rest of my life — I’d be like, “That's great.” I’d be stoked.

ED: You’ve worked with Hilarie post-OTH on some Christmas movies. What was that like? Are there any other former cast members you’d hope to work with again?

TH: I love working with Hilarie. We’ve done more projects together than anyone else — three Christmas movies with her and a couple of TV shows, even outside of One Tree Hill. The universe keeps bringing us back together.

I think it’d be fun to do a movie with Joy at some point, too. It’d also be fun to work with any of the guys again. I’d love to do something with Rob [Buckley]. Chad and I always acted well together, too. I love him, and we used to be roommates, so that would be great.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.