Nashville

Season 4 M-Net (*101) 20:00

Thinking back a bit, it still seems weird that Chris Carmack only had a recurring role in season 1 of country musicinspired drama Nashville (2012-2016). As Will Lexington, he’s a guitar-playing rugged hottie who sets hearts aflutter when he starts singing – and yes, that really is Chris’s voice. Maybe that’s why he’s been one of the show’s bigger stars since becoming a regular from season 2 until its recent cancellation.

The 35-year-old put his handsome 1

looks and toned body to good use after graduating from Magruder High School in Maryland in 1999 – he was snapped up as a model by upmarket fashion brand Abercombie & Fitch.

That opened doors for him in 2

LA, where he was cast as Luke in season 1 of teen drama series The OC (2003-2007). He quit the show in 2004 because his role wasn’t big enough to guarantee more screentime.

Nashville isn’t the only place that 3

Chris makes music. He proposed to his violinist fiancée Erin Slaver in March this year. Erin has a small recurring role on Nashville, playing one of Juliette’s (Hayden Panettiere) back-up singers.

He says that there was no mention 4

of his Nashville character being gay when he auditioned, but “when they called and pitched the arc of the role, my response was, ‘That sounds awesome! Let’s do it!’”

Although he only spent a year5

and-a-half studying theatre and arts at New York University, Chris still managed to get onto the varsity’s baseball, football, basketball and wrestling teams. These days, says Chris, “I have time for trail running, some cycling and yoga to stay in shape.” Plus, the actor and singer loves playing his saxophone and guitar. NB! See more on p35.