Bethany Joy Lentz shares more details about her years in the cult.
The actress announced on Instagram that her memoir, Dinner for Vampires, will include memories from her time “in an abusive, high-demand group (aka cult).”
“Being a writer has been a great personal joy in my life since I was about 12 years old,” she wrote in an Instagram caption. “This is not the first book I’ve thought of writing publicly, but as difficult as this subject is to unpack, I’m grateful to be able to share my story the way I do.”
“This is a story of forgiveness and, with heartache and humor, a roadmap for how manipulation works,” she continued. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I hope ‘Dinner for the Vampire’ reminds you that no matter what strange path you’ve taken, you’re not alone.”
Bethany Joy Lentz details her time in a cult in her new memoir, Dinner for Vampires. (Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
‘One Tree Hill’ star Bethany Joy Lentz says she spent 10 years in a cult: ‘There’s a lot to talk about’
The book’s description details Lentz’s journey as a young actress growing up as an only child and “always wanting a place to belong.” As she grew older, she began to find the “safe haven she was looking for in a Bible study group” made up of other people in the industry.
Lenz initially found happiness in the group, but through a “slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear disguised as church regulations” known as the Big House Family, it became ” “It soon turned into something more sinister,” the description reads.
Eventually, when Lentz moved to a “family’s Pacific Northwest compound” run by a “tyrannical” cult leader, he realized he had lost any sense of “autonomy.” This leader not only persuaded her to “marry one of her own sons,” but also “steadily burned through millions of dollars in television income without her knowledge.”
“The family ‘caretaker’ assigned to her on set, the ‘Maoist struggle sessions’-inspired gatherings in the basement of a squalid house, and regular counseling with ‘leadership’ ensured her allegiance. “It was just part of the tactics used to keep one’s mind together,” the description reads. .
Lentz starred as Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill for nine seasons. (Stephen Ravkin/FilmMagic)
Lentz starred on The WB’s hit teen drama One Tree Hill for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012, and has always enjoyed a cult following. She played Haley James Scott on the show, the best friend of Lucas Scott, played by Chad Michael Murray, and the wife of his half-brother and former nemesis Nathan Scott.
Lentz previously opened up about the support he felt from the show’s cast members on the Biscuits & Jam podcast in November, saying he felt like there were “so many people with open arms and comforting me” when he made the decision to leave the cult. Ta. She found it “very helpful,” she said.
“A lot of people out there, consciously or unconsciously, just their presence is an encouragement and a reminder that they still love and care about me despite the fact that I’m a little different.” “It made a huge difference. I felt like there was safety,” she said.
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Lentz felt supported by her fellow cast members on “One Tree Hill.” (Theo Wargo/Wire Image)
In an interview published Thursday in People magazine, Lentz said that the hardest part of writing Dinner for the Vampire was having to relive the experience, saying, Exploring and facing them seriously was a real “challenge” for her, she said, but she persevered. .
Since leaving the group, Lentz revealed that he has undergone “a lot of therapy” to overcome what he calls “emotional abuse.”
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“Recovery looks different for everyone, depending on their traumatic experience,” she explained. “I had to start with a baseline of my personal understanding of God and what I had been through, and then go back to who I was and remember that and see what I wasn’t doing. There was a lot to admit that there was a lot, I don’t know.”
Lentz’s memoir is scheduled to be published in October. (Axel/Bauer Griffin/Film Magic)
“Dinner for Vampires” is scheduled to be released on October 22nd.
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