Chris Foy broke hearts on Aussie TV, 20 years later he’s not your typical former teen star

Exclusive: Former teen stars turning their back on the shows that made them famous is practically an entertainment industry rite of passage, but former Blue Water High actor Chris Foy doesn’t operate that way.

Two decades after breaking hearts as the surfer Matt Leyland on the iconic 2000s Aussie drama, Foy, now 43, built an entirely different life for himself.

Foy first ran a physical training studio in North Sydney for a decade, and now is thriving as a professional wedding and events DJ.

When wedding guests routinely approach his DJ booth to ask if he’s “that guy from Blue Water High,” Foy doesn’t cringe or dodge the conversation.

In fact, he’s leaned right into the nostalgia, especially after a clip from a July wedding where a guest recognised Foy from his acting days. The video racked up more than 560,000 views and launched a viral TikTok series.

“I definitely did not expect that response,” Foy told nine.com.au of his initial video.

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“I thought maybe I’d get a few views because Blue Water High stuff tends to get a bit of interest, but I had no idea it was going to blow up like that.”

Unlike many former screen stars who shake off their early acting gigs, Foy embraces the legacy of the hit series with genuine affection.

“I’ve seen people want to brush off the thing that gave them their start, but I don’t mind it at all,” Foy said.

“I have really fond memories of the show and the people who watched it. People are just kind of nice about it, so it’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.”

While the show remains a beloved core memory for Australian millennials who rushed home from school to catch it, Foy admitted the reality of filming wasn’t always effortless.

“Some of the water stuff was very cold,” he laughed. “We started filming around September, coming right out of winter, and we had to spend long shoot days in the water. That was a bit miserable, but you can’t really complain!”

He also credited the show’s wardrobe department for keeping his 2000s fashion regrets to a minimum, for the most part.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not too bad,” Foy joked. “The good old shell necklace was very much of its time, but otherwise, most of the time we were just in t-shirts, shorts, or wetsuits, so I think we escaped!”

As for keeping in touch with his former Solar Blue housemates, Foy said while life has pulled everyone in different directions, nostalgia has a way of popping up in everyday places.

“I actually bumped into Sophie Luck [who played Fly] at the supermarket the other day,” Foy revealed.

“We live very close to each other. It was just a nice catch-up – like no time had gone by. She’s the loveliest person you’ll ever come across.”

Despite having only a three-year run from 2005 to 2008, Blue Water High’s cultural impact has clearly stood the test of time.

Thousands of fans across social media have begged for 20-year reunion and while Foy said the making of such a production would be out of his hands, he would definitely be keen to take part.

So, where would Matt Leyland be today in 2026?

“The hope is that he moved into marine biology to try and help save the planet,” Foy said.

In a sweet twist of fate, Foy shared that his character’s career path hits close to home. His own 13-year-old daughter currently dreams of becoming a marine biologist, too.

Meanwhile, Foy is keeping the 2000s spirit alive through his music, hosting Central Coast house music events and as for the endless fan demands for a reboot or a theme song remixed for his DJ sets?

“Maybe I’ll have to remix the theme song,” Foy laughed. “That’s something a lot of people have asked for!”