TDW Exclusive: Matt Barr on Going From Psycho Derek to Keith Van Der Woodsen

Appearing on just one teen drama? Psht. Two? Forget that. If you’re Matt Barr, you have a trifecta going and will settle for nothing less.

Barr is perhaps best-known for playing Ian “Psycho Derek” Banks on One Tree Hill, but has two other teen drama roles under his belt: a young Keith van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl’s 80s flashback episode and Wes, a college student on The O.C.

What could make it even better? This: Barr couldn’t have been nicer–or funnier–in our interview. See for yourself below.

TeenDramaWhore: When you were cast on One Tree Hill, were you aware of all the twists in store for your character? Specifically, did you know you weren’t really Peyton’s brother and did you know you were going to go down the ’stalker’ route?

Matt Barr: I really did go into it pretty blind. The only information the producers shared with me in the beginning was that Derek had a dark side. What that meant, I really had no idea. Little did I know I was going to have time of my life! I had no clue it would escalate the way it did, and to the degree it did. I remember, towards the end of that wild character arc, I told creator Mark Schwahn, “Man, you’re really not afraid to go for it!” Loved every minute of it.

TDW: How did you channel all the craziness you had to display?

Barr: Ha Ha. Good question. You know, truth is we all have this instinctual dark side to us. I’m not saying it’s evil; it’s just this raw survival technique that, when placed in extreme circumstances, or faced with desperate measures, we are all capable of some pretty crazy things. Ha ha. I remember when I was like 6 years old, it was my birthday, and as my mom brought my birthday cake to the table, my little brother jumped up and blew out all my candles. I was so mad; I screamed and said something like, “I’m going to kill you, Luke!” Needless to say, I didn’t kill my brother that day. He’s now 22, and bigger and stronger than me. But you could say as I tapped into that angry craziness of Derek, it all started with my little bro. I guess you just have to reach down inside yourself and pull it out. Thanks, bro.

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