Bethany Joy Lenz Recalls Being Cautioned ‘One Tree Hill’ Was About “F***ing & Sucking”: “I Didn’t Feel Too At Risk Of Being Objectified”
deadline.comBethany Joy Lenz reflects on the time she landed One Tree Hill and the warning she received the night before her screen test.
In her new memoir, Dinner for Vampires, Lenz recalls initially passing on the opportunity to star in the drama. At the same time, she passed on starring in What I Like About You, opposite Amanda Bynes, as she didn’t want to “normalize living in sin” by playing a character who lives with her boyfriend.
The role eventually went to Jennie Garth in the WB sitcom. Lenz, who was raised as an evangelical Christian, then got a call from her manager relaying a message from an executive the night before she was going to screen test for One Tree Hill. “I have a direct quote that I’ve been asked to relay to you, to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into before you sign this contract,” Lenz said, according to EW.
Lenz’s manager then quoted the TV executive saying, “You tell her this show is about f***ing and sucking and if she’s gonna have a problem with that, she shouldn’t come in tomorrow.” The actress later on said, “Just tell him I understand what he’s saying.
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