Bethany Joy Lenzis an accomplished actor with over 40 movie and TV credits since her career began in 1992. After honing her acting skills on the soap operaGuiding Light, Lenz went on to star in the popular teen dramaOne Tree Hillfor a decade. In between her lasting character arc, Lenz played a slew of supporting characters in various projects that enabled her to showcase her diverse talents.
By 2014, Lenz found the perfect niche for her acting abilities and onscreen persona by starring inThe Christmas Secret,the first of many Hallmark romantic comedies that continue to this day. With Lenz poised to star inA Baltimore Christmasthis holiday season, there’s no better time to highlight Lenz’s all-time best screen performances to date.
Lenz joined the eighth and final season ofShowtime’s hit drama series,Dexter, and gave an unforgettable five-episode performance as a character named Cassie Jollenston. Cassie is Dexter’s new neighbor, Jamie’s friend, a former finance executive, and a local food truck owner. When Dexter stands her up during a lunch date, Cassie begins dating a ruthless killer named Oliver Saxon, which proves to have dire consequences.
One of the hardest things for an actor to do is join a hit TV show that has already been well-established for years and make an instant impression. Yet, Lenz does just that by not only holding her own opposite the award-winning Michael C. Hall as Dexter, but also by showcasing a much more sober, grounded, and dramatic performance than fans are used to seeing. Despite her brief supporting role, the heartfelt pain and agony viewers feel regarding Cassie’s fate is a testament to Lenz’s acting aplomb.
Pearsonis a legal/political drama and spinoff of the popular TV showSuits. The plot concerns Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), a top Chicago lawyer who enters the world of shady politics and uses her vast connections to help corrupt elected officials and do their dirty bidding. Lenz takes second billing as Keri Allen, an ambitious lawyer and right-hand of Chicago mayor Bobby Novak.
During a standout 10-episode arc that enabled her to flesh out her character and fully inhabit Keri’s skin, Lenz is given far more to do inPearsonthan in most of her brief TV roles. For instance, the juicy storyline involving Keri’s torrid love affair with the married Mayor Novak and the desperate attempt to keep her dirty secret from the public provide Lenz with a great opportunity to play a flawed character with convincing results.
8A Valentine’s Match
In what has become a performative sweet spot for her natural talents,A Valentine’s Matchis one of severallovely Hallmark rom-comsthat rely on the disarming charms of Lenz’s starring turn. Lenz shines as Natalie Simmons, a reality TV host who loses her job in San Francisco and returns to her Oregon hometown in a funk. While home, Natalie ends up operating the annual Valentine’s Day charity auction, where she cannot resist the charms of an old acquaintance named Zach (Luke Macfarlane).
For as formulaic, schmaltzy, and predictable as many Hallmark rom-coms tend to be, Lenz makes viewers forget about such misgivings with her magnetic performance. There’s a reason why Lenz continues to be cast as the female lead in annual Hallmark movies, with her ability to nail the tone and tenor of the brand better than most. InA Valentine’s Match, Lenz turns in yet another enchanting, feel-good performance that elevates the material.
7Royal Matchmaker
Royal Matchmakeris a delightful Hallmark movie that stars Lenz as Kate Gleason. Kate lives in New York and is known as the best matchmaker in the city. As such, the King of Voldavia requests Kate to find a suitable bride for his son, Prince Sebastian (Will Kemp). Kate takes the challenge but soon realizes she can’t help but fall for the rakish royal herself.
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After starring in several Christmas Hallmark movies that began to grow stale and wear out their welcome, Lenz found a new stride by taking on one of the channel’s annual royal romances. Although the plot is familiar, Lenz overcomes the clichés by giving a totally committed, confident, and commanding performance. She brings such a bright, effervescent presence to the screen that it’s very easy to bask in her radiant charms. Meanwhile, her rapport with Kemp proves that no matter who Hallmark casts Lenz with, she always makes the romance believable.
6Just My Type
Just My Typestars Lenz as Vanessa Sills, a pop culture journalist and budding novelist living in New York. When Vanessa scores the job of a lifetime by interviewing her idol in Washington state, an enigmatic mystery author named Martin Clayborne (Brett Dalton), she must balance her career-driven goals and her romantic feelings. Meanwhile, Vanessa’s ex tries to win her back, making her decisions even more important.
Despite knowing exactly where the end ofthe acclaimed Hallmark movieis heading, Lenz delivers another convincing performance that makes viewers sympathize with her dilemma and root for her happiness. Torn between scoring a big promotion at work and pursuing the potential love of her life, Lenz imbues Vanessa with a sense of heartfelt angst and uncertainty that is impossible to dislike. Moreover, the screen chemistry she has with Dalton is even more electric than she had with Macfarlane inA Valentine’s Match.
5Bottled With Love
Hallmark’sBottled With Lovestars Lenz as Abbey Lawrence, a career-driven executive living in Boston. Fed up with her romantic failures, Abbey expresses her desire for true love in a letter, puts it in a bottle, and tosses it in the harbor. Months later, the letter reaches Nick (Andrew Walker) in Maine, who happens to be the CEO of the company where Abbey works. A compelling plot gives way to yet another irresistible performance by Lenz.
After starring together in the 2017 honorable mention,Snowed-In Christmas, Lenz and Walker demonstrate even more palpable onscreen credibility as a romantic couple inBottled with Love. Lenz brings plenty of Hallmark movie experience to her role as Abbey, which goes a long way in making her character relatable and completely three-dimensional. The reasonBottled with Loveoutranks the other Hallmark movies is due to Lenz’s hilarious comedic timing.
4So Cold The River
In a much different performance than she’s given in her career, Lenz stars as Erica Shaw inthe underrated horror movie perfect for Halloween,So Cold the River. Erica is a documentary filmmaker who is sought by a woman named Alyssa to profile her dying, billionaire father. With nothing but a mysterious water bottle to go on, Erica slowly unravels a history of evil behind the town that relates to the billionaire’s family.
After portraying so many pleasant, funny, and upbeat characters, Lenz shows a completely new side of her acting skills inSo Cold the Riverand never disappoints. The way she guides the viewers through her own investigation by culling drips and drabs of information relating to the grand conspiracy at the heart of the story is truly remarkable. Both tough and vulnerable at once, Lenz’s strong performance overcomes the movie’s ambiguous ending and lack of a resolution.
3The Christmas Secret
Lenz took center stage in her first Hallmark holiday movie viaThe Christmas Secret, a trend that has continued for a decade. Lenz plays Christine Eisley, a single mother who recently lost her job, faces eviction from her ex-husband, and misplaces a valuable Christmas family heirloom. So many things go against Christine that it’s impossible not to root for her happiness when she meets a dashing man named Jason (John Reardon) while taking a job in a bakery.
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The performance that started it all, Lenz absolutely emblazoned the screen with a luminous performance that made Hallmark recognize her talents and continue to cast for her 10 years straight. The script helps foster heartfelt pathos and sympathy for Christine, with Lenz’s performance as a single mother standing much taller than the Hallmark movies in which she plays a childless character. All told, thanks to Lenz’s gifted performance,The Christmas Secretmay still rank as Hallmark’s best holiday movie.
2Guiding Light
Lenz portrayed Michelle Bauer Santos in 49 episodes of the popular soap opera,Guiding Light, marking the third actor to do so behind Rachel Miner and Rebecca Budig. Michelle Bauer is the daughter of Ed and Maureen and the sister of Meta. Throughout Lenz’s 3-year arc on the show, Michelle was given several dramatic storylines that enabled Lenz to develop her acting craft.
For example, one of Michelle’s most compelling storylines involved her secret killing of Mick in self-defense. When Mick’s brother Danny arrives in town looking for his killer, he discovers Michelle is responsible and marries her anyway to protect her from her mother and ruthless mob boss, Carmen.
The way Lenz portrayed Michelle’s aching, undying love for her ex-boyfriend Jesse while being married to Danny required a lot of heavy emotional lifting. To do so believably at such a young age, Lenz deserves all the credit in the world.
1One Tree Hill
Without question, Bethany Joy Lenz will always be synonymous withthe character Haley James ScottfromOne Tree Hill. The hit WB teen drama follows Lucas and Nathan Scott, rival half-brothers dealing with their friends, family, romance, and sports teams in North Carolina. Haley is Lucas' best friend who ends up becoming Nathan’s wife as the series advances, putting her in between their intense family rivalry.
In her most convincing and exhaustive performance to date, Lenz played Haley for an astonishing 187 episodes between 2003 and 2012. Simply put, Lenz grew up with the character and allowed fans to evolve, grow, and mature alongside her for better and worse.
The sheer volume of screen time, dramatic plotlines, and major character arcs allowed Lenz to embody Haley better, longer, and more memorably than any other performance of her career thus far. As such, it’s no surprise that Lenz earned four Teen Choice Award nominations for her work as Haley James Scott.
