AceShowbiz - Tyler Hilton, known for his role as Chris Keller on the early 2000s teen drama "One Tree Hill," recently opened up about his short-lived romance with co-star Bethany Joy Lenz. This revelation coincides with the release of Lenz's memoir, "Dinner for Vampires," where she unveils her tumultuous decade as part of a cult called the "Big House Family."

While speaking to an audience at a recent concert, Hilton described the intense connection he and Lenz fostered while filming the show's second season in 2004. "We really fell for each other," Hilton shared. Their chemistry was so palpable that producers even wrote their off-screen romance into their characters' storylines.

However, Hilton began to sense that Lenz was part of something unusual. "I started to get the vibe that she was in a cult," he laughingly recalled. Despite his concerns, his budding affection for Lenz led him to make light of the situation. "I was like, 'Dude, I'm down with cults. I don't care about that s**t,' " he joked.

The turning point came when Lenz informed Hilton that her group needed to vet him. Recounting the experience, Hilton said they were on tour in Portland when the "Big House Family" attended one of his shows. "They sussed me out, and they were like, 'Yeah, he's not the vibe,' " he recounted.

The cult's verdict unequivocally ended their relationship. "Normally, if you tell a girl, 'Oh, is there something I can do?' But if the cult says, 'No,' you're f**ked," Hilton commented wryly.

In "Dinner for Vampires," Lenz provides a more somber perspective on this period of her life, explaining how the cult's approval - or lack thereof - affected her relationships and her career. "Tyler always treated me normally from then forward, but I hated having it hang over me," Lenz wrote.

Lenz went on to marry Michael Galeotti Jr., the son of the cult's leader, in an "arranged situation", but their marriage ended in 2012. Meanwhile, Hilton tied the knot with actress Megan Park in 2015 and the couple now parents to two children.