So it was about time I shed some light and talk about a woman I have admired for quite a number of years now, thanks in part to One Tree Hill. And that just happens to be Bethany Joy Lenz,(who has also been credited as Joie Lenz and when she was married Bethany Joy Galeotti). I don't think I'll be able to say enough good things about this woman. Joy is one of those people that is good at everything she does. At least I believe so. She is one extremely multi-talented person. She acts, she's a director, she sings, she writes poems and music, she plays instruments, and she is so good at all of it. I am in awe of her creativity. Add the fact that she's also a philanthropist, and most importantly, an amazing mother to her daughter Maria. Did I mention she's also breathtakingly beautiful? Because she is.
I first became a fan of Joy after watching an episode of One Tree Hill back in 2005. It was episode 13 of season 2. It was the first episode I had seen of the series and I immediately loved her character Haley. Without having any prior knowledge about the character and her backstory I was intrigued by the situation of the episode and I was in awe by the emotions she played and the decisions her character faced. By the end of the episode I was hooked on the show and I needed to know more about the character. From then on I was a dedicated fan and viewer of both the show and Joy. It didn't take me long to catch up on the series and to find out more about Joy.
Joy as Haley in the episode that I love and hate. Love because it started my love for the show and Joy. Hate because it breaks my Naley heart just thinking about it.
The funny thing for me about Joy is that I was a fan of her before I knew of her. Probably doesn't make sense but it's true. She appeared in shows and movies I loved not realizing she was in it until after I became a dedicated fan of hers from One Tree Hill. She appeared in Charmed (another show I was addicted to when it aired), Felicity, Bring It On Again, Mary and Rhoda and Thinner. It wasn't until after I became a huge of One Tree Hill that I realized how familiar she looked and remembered her roles in those shows/films. While those are projects I recognized her in Joy has been in a number of productions since she was a child. She's appeared in a few commercials such as Swans Crossing Dolls and Party Mania game. She appeared in the boy band 5ive's music video for the song "When The Lights Go Out". She had a starring role on the soap opera Guiding Light. As well as a number of guest appearances on other shows such as Off Centre, Men At Work, Dexter, CSI, and most recently Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She's also done a number of TV Movies, most recently The Christmas Secret. Joy has also had starring roles in a couple TV pilots. First as Lauren Byrd on Songbyrd, but the E! network passed on the pilot which still saddens me because it seemed like the perfect role for Joy. Then she was cast as Zoe for Shonda Rimes' The Catch. The show was picked up by ABC but unfortunately some idiots decided to recast Joy's role and she was no longer attached to the project. I'm still bitter about that one. She can next be seen starring as Julie Riley in the upcoming movie Extortion co-starring Eion Bailey. As well as in the upcoming movie Home as Rose Bell. Joy is such an exceptional actress able to provide such depth and emotion that she can pull off any type of character in my opinion. She's incredibly versatile and it's fun to watch her embody different types of characters.
Joy as Haley performing in season 1 of OTH
In addition to being an amazing actress, Joy is also an insanely talented musician. She sings, writes the music and plays piano and guitar. I first became aware of her musical abilities while watching an episode in the first season of OTH. Admittedly I didn't expect that she actually was performing on the show and I wasn't aware until later that they gave Haley a musical side due to Joy's musical talent. They wanted to write it in to not only give Haley another interesting aspect to her character but also to showcase Joy's talent. In the show with her husband Nathan's encouragement Haley pursued music which led to joining a tour leading to some fallout and then further story lines. The tour Haley joined also happened to become a reality for fans of the show. Like on the show Joy went on tour in a few select cities along with Tyler Hilton, Gavin DeGraw, and The Wreckers (Michelle Branch & Jessica Harp) for the One Tree Hill Tour in the spring of 2005. Throughout the tour cast members from the show also appeared as a fun surprise for fans. Unfortunately for me I got into the show too late and wasn't aware of the tour. If I had I definitely would have attended the show's Chicago stop. I did manage to snag myself a concert t-shirt as a souvenir. It's one of my prized possessions.
Joy's 2016 tour schedule
Once I learned that Joy was in fact a singer herself I made it a point to get her music and have been a big fan ever since. She has a few self-released albums such as Come On Home, Preincarnate, Then Slowly Grows, Your Woman, and her most recent release, exclusive to iTunes, Get Back To Gold. She has also been featured on two of One Tree Hill's Soundtracks which tie into her character Haley James Scott. Also for a time she formed a band with old friend Amber Sweeney named Everly and released a a few EPs Mission Bell, Fireside, and the B Tracks Collection. Joy has also contributed music to a couple of soundtracks and released a number of singles. It's not often Joy performs live on stage but lately has done special shows at OTH conventions and a few special dates here and there. Currently Joy has lined up a few tour dates this coming summer. I am very excited to say I will finally get the chance to see her perform in person in July. I am so beyond ecstatic.
Also among her many talents she also wrote a libretto for Nicholas Sparks' novel The Notebook which along with Ron Aniello presented a live theatrical workshop. She has directed a few episodes of OTH. She also runs an awesome lifestyle blog titled Modern Vintage Life and is a huge advocate for various organizations that focus on women's rights and the fight against human trafficking. It's truly amazing how many things Joy has accomplished and continues to do. She seems to have such an endless supply of creativity. Lately she's been posting pics on her Instagram of some art she has worked on and as always looks amazing. She's just so damn talented. I wish I had the fraction of her talent.
Joy as Haley James Scott on the last episode of One Tree Hill.
This July I will be making a dream come true and meeting Joy at an OTH convention in Wilmington where the show was filmed during it's 9 year run. I have been wanting to attend an OTH convention for a long time now and when this opportunity appeared I had to take it. I will be going to two meet and greets with her as well as getting a couple of photo ops. I just really want to thank her for bringing to life a character I wholeheartedly relate to on many levels. There is no other character on any other show that I relate to more than Haley James Scott. I want to thank her for being an inspiration and role model. For being a woman that stands up for what she believes in and is not afraid to be herself. I admire how confident and strong she is. She has so many qualities I wish I had in myself. I hope I don't make a fool of myself but that's some of the things I'd like to tell her. Also, she'll be seeing me so much that weekend I hope I don't freak her out, lol.
Joy is a force to be reckoned with and I hope more people discover how amazing she is. So if you have a moment watch any of her film/tv projects, listen to some of her music, and/or follow her blog, follow her Instagram. Trust me, it's worth it.
Some links to check out: ModernVintageLife.Com - Her fantastic blog! Instagram - Awe-inspiring pics I promise! Twitter - Get up-to-date info from Joy herself!
Here are a couple of good quality performances I found on YouTube:
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