Elisabeth Moss Defends Scientology as a “Misunderstood” Religion

Wren Graves
·3 min read

The post Elisabeth Moss Defends Scientology as a “Misunderstood” Religion appeared first on Consequence.

Here’s a fact that few people would argue: Elisabeth Moss is one of the greatest actors of her generation. Here’s another fact that would receive only slightly more pushback: Many ex-members of the Church of Scientology have alleged a culture of exploitation and abuse. Now Moss, one of the most prominent practitioners of Scientology, has granted a lengthy interview to The New Yorker where she not only delved into her craft, but also defended her Church from critics.

Moss is a second-generation artist and member of the Church, whose father was close with jazz legend and Scientologist Chick Correa. She went through the Hubbard Key of Life course at the age of eight and was labelled Clear — which the Church defines as a person “who no longer has his own reactive mind, the hidden source of irrational behavior, unreasonable fears, upsets, and insecurities” — at 11.

“I don’t want to come off as being cagey,” she said. “If you and I met, just hanging out as friends, I’m, like, an open book about it. [But] I don’t want people to be distracted by something when they’re watching me. I want them to be seeing the character. I feel like, when actors reveal too much of their lives, I’m sometimes watching something and I’m going, ‘Oh, I know that she just broke up with that person,’ or, ‘I know that she loves to do hot yoga,’ or whatever it is.”

Moss said of Scientology,  “It’s not really a closed-off religion. It’s a place that is very open to, like, welcoming in somebody who wants to learn more about it. I think that’s the thing that is probably the most misunderstood.”

When asked about fans who struggle to reconcile the radical politics of The Handmaid’s Tale with Moss’ place in such a Church, she said, “I would just encourage people to find out for themselves. I’ve certainly been guilty of reading an article or watching something and taking that as gospel.” She added, “And obviously something like religious freedom and resistance against a theocracy is very important to me.”

Moss also addressed two recent controversies that could be traced back to the public’s uneasy acceptance of her religion. She was nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for The Handmaid’s Tale in 2017, and one of the night’s winners was Leah Remini, a Scientology defector who was recognized for her docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath. Afterwards, some outlets reported that Moss left the room during Remini’s speech.

“I went to the bathroom,” Moss said. “I wish it was more exciting than that.” As for Remini’s subsequent claim that the Church has forbid Moss from speaking to her, Moss said, “I have never received any request to talk to her. So there hasn’t been an opportunity for her to say that. I don’t know her that well, so it’s not like we were friends.”

That same year, Moss won an Emmy for The Handmaid’s Tale. In her acceptance speech, she thanked her mother for teaching her “that you can be kind and a fucking badass.” Afterwards, The Hollywood Reporter ran an interview with an ex-Scientologist who claimed that swear words are how Scientologists speak “down the tone scale” to less-enlightened people.

“That pissed me off,” Moss said. “That was a really, really big moment for me, and it was a big moment for my mom and me. My mom, who has supported me through the years and been such an incredible mother to both me and my brother. And to tell a lie like that, about that — I didn’t deserve that, and it was wrong.”

Moss will star in Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale, which is currently in production, and her new series, Shining Girls, came to Apple TV+ today, April 29th.

Elisabeth Moss Defends Scientology as a “Misunderstood” Religion
Wren Graves

Popular Posts

Subscribe to Consequence of Sound’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.