There were a lot of different types of fan-actor interactions throughout the EyeCon Return to Tree Hill 2 convention in Wilmington, North Carolina last weekend. But it was during the panels that fans got to really talk to the stars and get a glimpse of their personalities.
The second panel of the weekend followed up the Leyton panel and featured Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James) and Paul Johansson (Dan Scott). They came on stage giddily, and everyone could see that they were very close — it was pretty adorable. After some goofing off and silly chit chat, the first question came.
Did you take any props home from the show?
Bethany Joy Lenz: The Julius Caesar book Haley gave Lucas (in the pilot episode). I had everyone sign it... it's framed now.
Johansson joked that he took Jamie home, and then he reflected a bit on playing Dan. He said he thinks really good actors are ones who can play someone like Dan.
Paul Johansson: I loved playing Dan Scott. It was the most fun ever.
What was the most meaningful thing you took from the show?
BJL: The friendship is amazing. The experience... aside from the memories, trinkets, career, that's what the real take away is, the friendships.
PJ: I spent seven years being Dan... I learned how not to be a dad.
In his answer, Johansson discussed how Dan was someone who wanted to be good for his family but didn't know how.
[Bethany] do you still have the cracker jack bracelet?
BJL: Actually... (she asked if everyone wants to know the truth about the bracelet, they said yes). There's like 300 of them. There's a plastic bag in the prop room full of them... we'd give some to people and they'd be so excited but there's so many of them out there.
What do you think is one of the funniest episodes?
Lenz said that she thought it was funny when Dan kissed Haley because she had to hit Dan but Johansson was so much stronger and didn't let go. Johansson said that most of the stuff was behind the scenes, like when he was directing a scene of Haley and Nathan in bed and crawled between them under the sheets... "that kind of shenanigans."
What was a difficult scene to shoot?
The audience called out "shooting Keith."
PJ: A beautiful scene is when I asked Nathan for forgiveness before I died, that was a goodbye scene, so it was technically very hard... when you marry doing things as a human with your character.
Lenz praised Johansson for making sure that Dan was not a 1-dimensional villain, that he was aware of all the layers of the character and put those layers into him.
Next, a fan asked Lenz what her favorite Haley song was and if she could sing some of it.
She beautifully sang a few lines from a song called the Flying Machine, which Haley performed at a concert in season 7 episode 13. Afterward, she joked that it was Johansson's turn.
Do you have plans to tour?
She said she doesn't currently, it's one of the things on hold her in life, but she said it's possible she could in several months or next year.
How did you start singing on the show?
BJL: Well, I'm an introvert. On set breaks, I'd go wandering, they started having to send a PA to trail me because I had a tendency to disappear and wander off. I was walking in the parking lot one day singing — I was probably writing a song in my head because when I do that I sing it over and over. Mark was driving by and heard me, asked me if I wanted to sing on the show. He said if I did 'we can do that.' So I said yes.
Did you both know Haley and Nathan would end up together from the start?
Lenz asked Johansson, because apparently he was more in the know than she was at the start of the show. He said they did but then they asked a writer from the show, who was sitting in the audience. The writer came up on stage and said that they didn't know right from the start but he thinks they decided halfway through the first season.
How was directing? And Paul, I liked when you got to be the comic relief alongside Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton).
Johansson said that anyone working with Tyler had so much fun, to which Lenz agreed.
BJL: For me directing wasn't difficult... we knew everyone well, we had a good rapport. I didn't like directing myself because I'm a control freak, but other than that, it was great.
PJ: The writing on our show was easy to translate into directing. The writers gave us great stuff to do... they knew years ahead what I'd be doing... we're puppets of the writing staff.
BJL: Paul is a great director, he knows what he wants to do and how to get it done. He's good at getting great stuff out of actors because he's such a succinct communicator... keep that in mind if you want to be a good director.
Did you ever imagine the show would be this big?
BJL: No, we thought it'd get cancelled. Every day we were waiting to get a cancellation notice... so this is amazing.
After Johannson's answer, Lenz asked the audience who's seen an episode more than five, then 10, then 15 times, and she was in awe at how many people raised their hand each time.
How are you like your character?
Johansson joked that he's a murderer, then said Lenz is a good friend, artistic and musical like Haley.
BJL: Yes, I am musical, I tend to believe the best in people, I'm loyal.
Are there any scenes you wanted to be in that you weren't?
BJL: All the scenes I wasn't in in the 1940s episode.
PJ: I really liked going to kill all those guys who took my son... I got to kill Nanny Carrie.
Then they discussed Dan not getting invited to Nathan's wedding, and Johansson said he loved working with James.
What was your favorite Naley scene?
PJ: I directed an episode where Nathan proposes to Haley on the dock. That was beautiful.
BJL: When we were a newlywed couple leaving a voice mail.
What was it like working with Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb Scott)?
PJ: She's awesome. She's the bomb, she's so talented... and she has comedic skills that were explored, but she could have carried her own show.
BJL: She's such a professional, never said a bad word, she was always on time, always prepared.
Johansson regretted that Woods and the other older cast members didn't stick around as much, though he knows it's not what the show was about.
What other character would you have wanted to be?
BJL: Dan or Victoria.
PJ: Chad. Just Chad.
Did the cast pull any pranks on set?
Johansson said that Chad was the big prankster but didn't give specifics. Lenz said that it would be hard to share any because it was all weird things you had to be there for.
Is there a plot that you would have changed if you could have?
They both agreed that it would be Dan killing Keith because they loved Craig (Sheffer). Lenz said she wished that if it had to happen, it was extended instead, at least.
After she talked about that a bit, Johansson joked that he thought Dan should have ended up with Haley and then said he wished Leyton came back at the end for his funeral.
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The Q&A soon ended, but not before Johansson and Lenz charmed the crowd even more with sweet parting words. They thanked the fans for their devotion and Johansson said, "The way you treat us is so kind, we always talk about how our fans are so kind and generous."
If nothing else, this panel proved to fans that Lenz is as lovable as Haley and the man who played Dan is as goofy and nice as Dan was horrible and cruel. They may not have been the beloved couple that Leyton was but they followed up the Leyton panel superbly.