Bethany Joy Lenz Talks Of Taking The Leap From Hallmark To Horror

One Tree Hill and Hallmark star Bethany Joy Lenz opens up about her journey from Hallmark Channel to a ‘mentally exhausting’ horror role.

Hallmark actress Bethany Joy Lenz is best known for her role as Haley James Scott on the hit teen series, One Tree Hill. The series aired from 2003 to 2012 on The CW and WB. However, she has also been a leading lady on a number of romantic comedies on Hallmark Channel. Lately, the talented actress has made a major leap to star in a horror movie, something totally different from previous roles.

Hallmark Channel News – Star Bethany Lenz And The Leap To Horror

Bethany Joy Lenz has a new project which takes her far from her earlier acting work. She is starring as a documentary filmmaker, Erica Shaw in the horror movie, So Cold the River. Lenz recently spoke to Insider about the “mentally exhausting” role and how it has affected her.

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Bethany explained how she managed to maintain her mental health while shooting horror material. In fact, she dubbed the experience as “mentally exhausting and strenuous.” Many of us enjoy watching horror movies, but we rarely think about how it was behind the scenes for the cast. Meanwhile, the plot relates to Erica (Lenz), a documentary filmmaker, who has given up the genre to make funeral memorial videos.

However, she gets an offer that she can’t refuse to profile dying millionaire Campbell Bradford. The only information she is given about Bradford’s mysterious past is a bottle filled with water from a local spring.

That bottle leads Erica to a resort, where she starts to uncover secrets about suicides and deaths that have marked the Bradford name for years. As she actually begins to drink the water, she becomes more involved in the story than any filmmaker should. In fact, she may unleash evil that she can’t take back.

Hallmark Channel News – The Effects Of Making So Cold The River

Compared to her previous work on One Tree Hill and Hallmark, the movie is much darker than any previous work. In the interview, Bethany explains that “taking care of yourself is really important” while in the process of making a horror film.

Speaking of her self-care on set, Lenz explained that some days she needed to have a drink with a friend. On other days, she needed to take a walk to calm down, while at other times she just needed to read or pray. Bethany added that there were a lot of different things that were helpful to her.

Hallmark Channel News – About So Cold The River

According to Lenz, the movie can also be looked at as an examination of female ambition. She said that it is a story about the dangers of professional drive becoming too strong. Meanwhile, the film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by author Michael Koryta. However, in the book, the character is a male filmmaker, Eric Shaw.

Bethany explained that gender-swapping the role added an extra layer to the movie. She said it allows viewers “to watch a woman who is dealing with an issue that has, in Western culture, been traditionally known to be a masculine trait – ambition. However, her character, Erica, deals with that ambition if a truly unhealthy way. Lenz said that after making the movie, she now knows what healthy ambition and leadership look like.

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Lenz told Insider, “Be more concerned with your work than you are about people liking you,” adding, “It’s important to be kind, it’s important to be professional, show up on time, treat everyone with respect.”

However, Bethany added that not everyone will like you or agree with you, at least for actors.

Readers can watch the trailer for So Cold the River here:

So Cold the River starring Bethany Lenz is currently in theaters and available to buy or rent on-demand. Read more of the interview with Lenz on Insider’s website here.