Bethany Joy Lenz is ready to talk about her life as a former member of the Big House Family cult.

In the latest episode of the Call her dad Podcast, the A tree hill alum spoke with host Alex Cooper about her decade of life in the isolated Christian community, including her six-year marriage to a person she describes as the cult leader's son. Although the actress said the early stages of their relationship were “playful and casual,” she notes that they lacked a real connection.

“We didn’t have much in common,” Lenz said of her ex-husband, whom she refers to as a QB. “There wasn’t much intellectual stimulation. But I somehow ran out of options. Me, for example. “I couldn’t date a non-Christian and I couldn’t date anyone outside the group… So it just came to an arranged situation.”

Shortly after tying the knot, the actress realized that the duo was incompatible in more ways than one. While she described herself as having a “crazy sex drive,” Lenz said she never had those feelings toward her ex.

“It felt like this promise given to me as a good evangelical was a big joke. What the hell? “I thought if I saved myself for marriage, then the promise was incredible sex and super deep intimacy, and nothing is ever that good,” she said. “And then we have sex and it's like, 'Why am I so sad?' I don't feel connected to you anymore. I feel further away from you.' And I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with me saving myself for marriage. It’s just that I married the wrong person.”

In response, Lenz said that QB took drastic measures and instituted a “sex schedule” to maintain intimacy in their marriage.

She explained, “Because I was so uninterested in sex, I was asked to set a schedule that was basically like, 'You just have to do it.' Just do it. This is your duty. This is your job as a wife. Your feelings will be brought into harmony. If you do it enough times, you'll eventually find a way to enjoy it.'”

Lenz said that because she took marriage and her commitment to God so seriously, she agreed to the plan even though she “hated it.” “It was a routine that I had to participate in to keep the peace in my marriage,” she added.

Since QB was often away for work, the schedule didn't take effect until he was in town – causing Lenz to experience a strong reaction to his return.

“My stomach dropped every time,” she said. “In fact, it really affected my relationships with other friends afterwards when I had to pick them up from the airport. I had so much post-traumatic stress disorder because I showed up at the airport to see him and knew I had to start this sex plan for the next two or three weeks or whatever.”

Lenz reveals more details about the marriage in her upcoming memoir. Dinner for vampiresin which their relationship to the cult as a whole is also discussed. As Lenz describes it, the oppressive community began as a Bible study but eventually revolved around the personality of a visiting pastor she refers to as “Les.” He eventually persuaded the members to move to a commune-like community in Idaho, which became increasingly isolated and encouraged Lenz to distrust those who lived outside of that community.

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The control that her husband and the cult as a whole had over Lenz's life eventually extended to her career. Although she stuck to her role A tree hillLenz was often pressured to turn down opportunities that arose at the height of the show's popularity. Lenz told Cooper that although she was “getting auditions for big studio films,” her options were limited.

“Everything in my career then started flowing through the group because I didn't trust my own instincts to know if I was on the right path or taking the right job,” she explained. “I was cast as Belle.” Beauty and the Beast (on Broadway) and gave it up, on the advice, the tough advice of Les. There were a few really big films that I was shortlisted for, that I auditioned for, that I was pinned for, and then I had to call my agent and say, “You know what?” I actually don't want to do that do.''

Lenz has a theory as to why the group was so intent on limiting her career prospects.

“I think it’s just control,” she said simply. “The more I worked, the less they would see me. The more I worked, the more confidence I would gain in my abilities and creativity. If I would just stay. “If I play a character for 10 years and have never done anything else, they always know where I am.”

Ironically, Lenz has previously acknowledged the consistency of A tree hill by helping her eventually break away from the group. “In many ways A tree hill saved my life because I was in North Carolina nine months of the year,” she said in an August episode of hers Drama queens Podcast. “I flew back and forth a lot, visited a lot of people and things like that, but my life was really built in North Carolina. And I think the physical separation made a big difference when it was time for me to wake up.”

Lenz notes that the birth of her daughter Rosie also encouraged her to leave the community. You can hear the actress talk more about her experience in the podcast episode above.

Dinner for vampires hits shelves October 22nd.