Bethany Joy Lenz<\/a><\/strong> is opening up about her time in a cult. In a new interview with Variety<\/a><\/em>, the 42-year-old actress reveals that her castmates on One Tree Hill<\/a><\/em><\/strong> tried to get her out of the cult she was a part of while starring in the teen drama.<\/p>\n Lenz, who joined the unnamed cult \u201cwithin a year or two\u201d of the show\u2019s 2003 premiere, notes that she was \u201copen\u201d with her OTH<\/em> co-stars \u2014 who included Sophia Bush<\/a><\/strong>, Hilarie Burton Morgan<\/strong>,<\/a> Chad Michael Murra<\/a><\/strong>y and James Lafferty<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 about the group with which she was involved, a topic she first discussed on her Drama Queens<\/em> podcast in July.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the whisper behind the scenes, like \u2018You know, she\u2019s in a cult,’\u201d Lenz recalls. \u201cFor a while, they were all trying to save me and rescue me, which is lovely and so amazing to be cared about in that way. But I was very stubborn. I was really committed to what I believed were the best choices I could make.\u201d<\/p>\n The actress explained that because \u201cthe nature of a group like that is isolation,\u201d it makes \u201cyou distrust everyone around you,\u201d the situation \u201cbuilt a deep wedge of distrust\u201d between Lenz and the show\u2019s cast and crew.<\/p>\n \u201cAs much as I loved them and cared about them, there was a fundamental thought: If I\u2019m in pain, if I\u2019m suffering, I can\u2019t go to any of these people,\u201d she says. \u201cSo you feel incredibly lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back, though, Lenz credits One Tree Hill<\/em>, on which she starred as Haley James Scott, with saving in her in many ways.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the people in that group lived there and were in it day after day. So in a lot of ways, One Tree Hill saved my life, because I was there nine months out of the year in North Carolina,\u201d she said. \u201cI had a lot of flying back and forth, a lot of people visiting and things like that, but my life was really built in North Carolina. And I think that spatial separation made a big difference when it was time for me to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n That decision to wake up isn\u2019t one that Lenz believes anyone else could have convinced her to make when she was in the thick of her involvement in the cult.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody\u2019s walking into it, they\u2019re walking in for a reason. There\u2019s something that\u2019s filling a need, it\u2019s filling a void and the best thing that you can do is just build a trust with that person,\u201d she says. \u201c\u2026 Sometimes, it\u2019s a long haul and you\u2019ve just gotta keep showing up and you cannot give them a reason to cut you out of their life, because they will in a second. But as far as anything you could say, no. I don\u2019t think anybody could have said anything. I wanted to do what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n The series lasted until 2012, and Lenz got out of the cult \u201cvery shortly after\u201d she wrapped.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it was like a secret life. I\u2019m on this TV show. I\u2019m living this glamorous, celebrity life \u2014 as people see it \u2014 and I have a total secret life going on. It was so painful,\u201d she admits, before sharing why she\u2019s coming forward with her story now.<\/p>\n \u201cI really do want to share so anybody who reads this book is going to be able to go, \u2018Oh, I recognize that,\u2019 \u2018This is happening to me,\u2019 \u2018My pastor just said that the other day,\u2019 \u2018My boyfriend keeps doing all the exact same things, that\u2019s so strange,’\u201d she says. \u201cI feel like there\u2019s so much. I just want to squeeze every ounce of help out of this experience. I want this experience to just be the fucking biggest lemon I ever had. Let me fucking squeeze out all the juice for everybody else \u2014 we\u2019re gonna make some lemonade.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Bethany](\"https:\/\/socialitelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/bethany-joy-lenz-photos-2023.08.11-2-1160x1580.jpg\")
![\"Bethany](\"https:\/\/socialitelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/bethany-joy-lenz-photos-2023.08.11-3-1160x1667.jpg\")
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