Bethany Joy Lenz Has 'Terrific Fun' — and Cheese! — in Paris for Her New Hallmark Movie (Exclusive First Look)
The 'One Tree Hill' alum stars in 'Savoring Paris,' premiering June 8 on Hallmark Channel
Bethany Joy Lenz's fans have always known she has a special joie de vivre. And now she's taking it to Paris for her latest Hallmark Channel movie!
Savoring Paris, which premieres June 8, sees the One Tree Hill alum step into the role of Ella, who quits her job as an executive at a food chain and heads to the City of Lights to try to rediscover the magic she remembers from her trip to Paris in college.
"I accept the grand adventure," she says in the exclusive first look trailer above, "and I promise to eat good cheese!"
2024 Hallmark Media/Eric Caro
Bethany Joy Lenz and Stanley Weber in Hallmark Channel's 'Savoring Paris'Related: The Best Hallmark Christmas Movies to Watch Now
In her new chapter, she quickly makes friends and meets two handsome single gentlemen, "a dapper food critic" (Ben Wiggins) and "a rugged cheesemonger" (Stanley Weber), as described by Ella's mom (Lucy Newman-Williams) in the clip.
The movie, part of the network's "Passport to Love" programming event, was filmed partly on location in Paris, which was "a dream, as expected," Lenz, 43, tells PEOPLE. "I loved the wildness of it. You can’t control Paris. You can’t tell pedestrians what to do. You just have to improvise with whatever you have. It was terrific fun."
2024 Hallmark Media/Eric Caro
Hallmark Channel's 'Savoring Paris'For the actress, who starred in last year's celebrated holiday film, A Biltmore Christmas, working on Savoring Paris was an experience that changed her on a personal level.
“This film will always be special to me because of what I learned from my character," she says. "She’s the first woman I’ve played who is used to making space for everyone else, but taking up none of her own. I’ve usually felt like I need to fight for my space, so living in the skin of someone more demure was a unique experience."
She continues, "It forced me to slow down, listen more, empathize more, stop trying to lead or control things. I loved it and I hope I can carry that lesson on in perpetuity.”
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2024 Hallmark Media/Eric Caro
Bethany Joy Lenz in Hallmark Channel's 'Savoring Paris'Hallmark Channel's "Passport to Love" movies kick off on June 1 with For Love and Honey, set in Malta and starring Andrew Walker and Margaret Clunie, and continues with Savoring Paris on June 8, A Greek Recipe for Romance on June 15 and Two Scoops of Italy on June 22.
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Savoring Paris premieres Saturday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
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