What You Don't Know About Hallmark Star Jen Lilley

Jen Lilley isn't someone who lives in her comfort zone. She first stepped into the world of acting while attending the University of Virginia, when she challenged herself to audition for a production and then landed the lead role, as she described in an interview. Once the project kicked off, she fell in love with the industry — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Realizing that she loved the business side of the entertainment world, she set out to take some evening acting classes with a local director and dove headfirst into what would eventually become her career. "... I was buying all the books I could about the business of acting..." she told Forbes. "For me, it really came down to finding the nuts and bolts of the business side of it and trying to figure out why do some people succeed beyond talent."

Lilley spent plenty of time scouring IMDb, looking at what up-and-coming actors were doing and making notes of how many productions they were working on at a time. She used this information to get an idea of the work she'd need to put in to make it as an actress.

Armed with information from her research, Lilley crafted an eight-year plan and made the move to Los Angeles, where she landed a featured extra's role in "Changeling" alongside Angelina Jolie, per Forbes. From there, she soon started booking other roles.