“People can obviously keep whatever they want in their heads and I can’t control that.”
For context, Elisabeth’s parents joined the organization before she was born and she was raised as a Scientologist. According to the New Yorker, she reached the “State of Clear” at age 11 and did a “Purification Rundown” in 2017.
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Elisabeth has been criticized for being a Scientologist in the past – particularly given her role in the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale.
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When asked about Scientology by The New Yorker, Elisabeth replied, “I don’t want to seem reticent. If you and I met just hanging out as friends, I’m like an open book about it.”
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“I don’t want people to be distracted by anything watching me. I want them to see the character. I feel like sometimes when actors reveal too much about their lives, I look at something and I’m like, “Oh, I know she just broke up with that person,” or “I know she likes to be hot.” Yoga, or whatever it is.”
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When the interviewer pointed out that people already associate Elisabeth with Scientology, she replied: “People obviously can keep whatever they want in their heads and I can’t control that. If it’s not that, it will be something else.”
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“It’s not really a closed religion. It’s a place that’s very open to welcoming anyone who wants to learn more about it. I think that’s probably what’s most misunderstood.”
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Commenting on Elisabeth’s feeling that Scientology helped her grow up, she said, “Communication is something that I obviously use so much, not only in my job but also in my interpersonal relationships. That’s probably one of the most important core things I grew up learning and I used and used every day: the power to just be able to listen to someone, to make someone feel heard, not to belittle them for what they think or believe , even if you think it’s wrong.
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One of Scientology’s controversies is its alleged “fair game” policy, whereby those who speak out against Scientology can be harassed and monitored in retaliation. Scientology denies that such a practice is employed.
Asked how viewers might reconcile Scientology’s alleged abuses with her role in The Handmaid’s Tale, Elisabeth continued, “I would only encourage people to find out for themselves. I’ve certainly been guilty, read an article or watched something and took it as gospel. … And of course something like freedom of religion and resistance to a theocracy is very important to me.”
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Elisabeth also spoke as she left the room during the 2017 Television Critics Association Awards as Leah Remini accepted an award for her documentaries about leaving Scientology. Leah said of the incident, “I wish I was surprised, but that’s sort of a Scientology tenet: don’t see or listen to anything or anyone speaking out against the abuse.”
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“They literally run away. It’s really sad to see because it’s like I really don’t mean them any harm, but I know how they feel.”
“I went to the bathroom,” Elisabeth told the New Yorker of the moment. “I wish it was more exciting.”
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Regarding Leah’s claim that Elisabeth was not allowed to speak to her because of the organization’s “acceptable truth” policy, Elisabeth said, “I have never been approached by her. I never received a request to speak to her. There was no opportunity for her to say so. I don’t know her that well, so it’s not like we’re friends.”
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You can read the full New Yorker profile here.
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