Former One Tree Hill star and Braun brand ambassador Bryan Greenberg sat down with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY to dish about everything from his upcoming album to TV to working with wife Jamie Chung. Bryan has stolen our hearts time and time again with his memorable roles on One Tree Hill, October Road, and How To Make It In America. As we first saw on OTH, Bryan is also a talented singer. Bryan revealed to us that he’s rediscovered his love for music after a long hiatus. He’s currently working on new material that’s going to be completely different from anything he’s ever done before.
As a brand ambassador, Bryan is sharing his own “What Really Matters” moments with Braun and HollywoodLife. We also chatted with Bryan about the possibilities of reboots. Practically every beloved show or project is being rebooted, and Bryan has his own thoughts about the projects he’s worked on. He admitted that One Tree Hill is actually not the show most people talk to him about rebooting! Get all the scoop by reading our Q&A with Bryan below.
Are you releasing an album soon?
Bryan Greenberg: Yeah! So basically I did three albums and then I put music down for like six years, and I just sort of fell out of love with it. It became not fun for me, and recently I have been starting to play shows and I was like, “Oh, man, I really am in love with this!” So I got all these songs, and I have been hitting the studio, and I am in full creation mode right now. Like, I don’t know what I am doing is good or bad because I am kind of changing my sound a little bit. My previous stuff was a little more singer-songwriter. I am a big fan of hip-hop and have kind of wanted to bridge the gap between what I listen to and what I play. So I am making my songs, stripping them down, and putting some hip-hop beats and 808 sounds to it. It gives it more of a modern and different sound for me, and I don’t know if it is good or bad, but I am trying to put out music soon and see what people think. I am having a blast and loving changing it up. I am out of my comfort zone which is scary but also a really cool thing.
When you approach your songs and album, do you want the whole album to tell a story or would you like it to be individual stories with the singles?
Bryan Greenberg: Usually it’s a single. I don’t usually think in terms of actual albums, but I do as far as a thematic story… I do have an overall sound of an album. In the past, I have had some bold and different sounds on my record, but I feel like I want something different for my next one, and I am creating a new sound for this album.
What was your favorite thing about working with your wife on Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong? What were some challenges?
Bryan Greenberg: It was great! I mean we are pretty supportive of each other’s careers. I help her run lines for her stuff and vice versa. We bounce off ideas off each other. So it’s kind of cool to do a film together that we both get to star in and produce. We filmed it while we were engaged, and I was like, ‘This is cool!’ It’s an indie movie, and the thing about an indie film is there is no risk. If it’s bad, nobody sees them, and if it’s good then they get out. So we flew to Hong Kong and treated it like, “Let’s see what happens!” We did have a little separation when we were out there and some separate living so we could have a break from each other, but it was cool and awesome. But now we are doing our different projects. She has Gifted on FOX, and I just shot a movie called Fourplay that will be coming out next month. It’s good because we travel and are constantly apart, but it is nice to be able to have an excuse to be in the same place and be in a movie together with each other. It was awesome! I don’t know if we will do it again anytime soon, but I have very fond memories of working with her.
What else would you like to prove in your career as it continues?
Bryan Greenberg: Prove is a good word. That is actually a great word. You know, I am always in competition with myself. How I can get better? How can I challenge myself? I think there are genres that I haven’t tried before and there are so many… When you become an established actor I guess something happens where people like to put you in a box, and it’s because they have seen you in a type of role. So the challenge now is to break those boxes and reinvent yourself and so they see you in a different light, because sometimes they think they know you, but you have to shake it up and get those different opportunities to shake things up and challenge people to see a different perception of what they think of you!
Do you keep up with your One Tree Hill or October Road cast mates?
Bryan Greenberg: Yeah, definitely… You know, I love acting so much, and I am probably my happiest when I am on set and doing what I love, so I think when you make friends on set, you hope that you can maintain that after. You know, those are the good times. You are doing what you love with people who are like-minded. You are shooting and making memories together, so it’s hard to walk away from that.
We live in a world of reboots and revivals — how do you feel about them? Would you consider doing one?
Bryan Greenberg: Well, the one that people always talk the most to me about is actually How To Make It In America. But I think that is one of the things that I have done that is beloved for some reason, but when it comes to reboots, it is not really up to me. Obviously if anyone wanted to do it, I would jump at the chance. I think people would love that. But I am also an artist who is looking for the next thing, and I don’t like looking backwards and that is the mindset to be in. I always want to keep creating and keep moving forward, but obviously if a few things came around I would consider it. Every day people come up to me and ask, “What happened on this show or what happened on that show?” And they want stuff brought back, so it’s not really up to me, but I think there are more stories to tell in those worlds if they ever came back around.
HollywoodLifers, are you excited about Bryan’s new music? Let us know!