One of the actors featured in Taylor Swift’s early music video era has spoken about the unexpected bond they formed, and shared what his life and career have become in the years since that memorable appearance.
Tyler Hilton, now 43, appeared as Swift’s romantic counterpart in the video for “Teardrops On My Guitar,” which was released when the singer was still in the early stages of her career and just beginning to make her name in country music.
At that point, Hilton was already familiar to many viewers thanks to his role as Chris Keller in “One Tree Hill” and his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the 2005 film “Walk the Line.”
While speaking to Us Weekly about his children’s book “Daddy: Live in Concert,” Hilton looked back on how he and Swift first connected. According to him, the connection started before they had even met in person, as he had already been impressed by her music.
He said he had spoken positively about Swift’s songwriting in an interview with a country publication, not realizing that she had already been keeping up with his work online.
Not long after, Swift’s team reached out to let him know she was a big fan of his songs and invited him to see her perform at a small Southern California venue.
During that meeting, Swift—who was just 15 at the time—personally asked Hilton to appear in one of her upcoming videos, which led to him taking part in “Teardrops On My Guitar.”
Looking back now, Hilton appears a long way removed from the youthful version of himself seen in that video.
The two remained close after the shoot. Hilton later revealed that when he moved to Nashville, he even spent several weeks living on the Swift family’s houseboat.
He remembered the family as warm and grounded, and said he would sometimes hear Swift playing songs from her bedroom before they had been released, including an early version of “White Horse,” which later appeared on her second album.
Though many still remember him from that music video and his acting work, Hilton has stayed active creatively, building a career that includes five studio albums as well as ongoing work as an actor and composer.
His newer projects have taken him in a different direction. Hilton published “Daddy: Live in Concert” in April 2025, a children’s book inspired by performing for his young daughter during the pandemic and by the wonder children bring to their parents’ everyday lives.
He explained that the idea came from seeing how amazed his daughter was when she watched him perform, even though she had rarely had the chance to see him on tour.
Hilton said he wanted the book to reflect that sense of wonder from a child’s point of view, framing it as a playful take on the old “my dad could beat up your dad” playground claim.
When discussing Swift’s extraordinary rise, Hilton said it is still difficult for him to fully process the scale of her fame. He pointed to the diary-like quality of her early lyrics as evidence that the image she presented as a sincere songwriter was genuine from the beginning, and said that honesty played a major role in her staying power.
He also noted that songwriting and children’s literature come from similar creative impulses, though he feels they draw on different emotions. In his view, music often emerges from a sadder place, while writing for children allowed him to reconnect with something lighter and more playful.
In his personal life, Hilton and actress Megan Park, whom he married in 2015, announced in January 2026 that they had decided to end their marriage and would continue co-parenting their two children.