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Tyler Hilton is participating in a viral trend — and reminding everyone he once starred in a Taylor Swift music video.
Hilton, 42, took to Instagram to share a video clip set to Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs,” and a line of text that’s being used on social media to demonstrate the importance of taking chances in life.
“In your 20s Taylor Swift will ask you to play a part in one of her music videos…. it’s very important you play that part,” Hilton wrote on the video, which showed him and Swift, now 35, in the “Teardrops on My Guitar” music video.
Hilton added the caption, “An OG Swiftie over here in case anyone was wondering #teardropsonmyguitar #taylorswift #swiftie #musicvideo.”
Hilton started his career as a musician before landing the role of Chris Keller on One Tree Hill in 2004.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2024, he remembered discovering Swift’s music.
“I’m not embarrassed to say I was blown away by that song ‘Tim McGraw,’ ” Hilton said of the 2006 single. “’Cause I’ve never heard as a writer something so simple and so earnest as: ‘When you hear Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me.’ ”
Later, Hilton mentioned Swift in a media interview — and the shoutout made its way to her team.
“I didn’t know this, but she was a huge fan of mine,” he said, adding that her management then reached out and asked if he would come sing one of his songs with her at a concert in California.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, if she’s doing one of my songs, I’ve got to go. That’s really adorable,’ ” he recalled. “I went to this bar to check her out and it was packed — like 200 people in this little bar.”
While the two were onstage that evening, Swift asked if he would be in her music video — and he agreed, traveling to Nashville to star as Drew in the music video for “Teardrops on My Guitar.”
Taylor Swift/YouTube
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Hilton added that he stayed in touch with Swift and her family even after the video, and at one point moved into their houseboat after he first moved to Nashville.
“Her dad really helped me get settled out there,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “And I just ended up getting into the whole Swift family world, and they were so cool.”
