THE A-listers WITH CULT STATUS
heat investigates celebs with links to some of the creepiest cults in history
While you could argue that Hollywood is the biggest cult of them all, some of its most famous members have had their fair share of experiences with the more nefarious kind. heat takes a look at the A-listers who were raised in, escaped, or are active members of some weird-ass organisations…
Flirting For jesus
Raised in Florence, Italy, actress Rose Mcgowan’s father ran a chapter of The Children of God.
The Children of God was founded in 1968 by David Berg, who also went by the modest moniker of Moses. Inspired by the free love ideas of the hippie movement, he told its followers that the best way to show their love of God was through sex. Employing a practice known as “flirty fishing”, he would reportedly send young female members out to bars to seduce men into joining the cult. As the Children of God did not believe in birth control, “fishing” resulted in numerous pregnancies, which the organisation would call “Jesus babies”.
Rose – who recently accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and has become a high-profile campaigner for women’s rights – has spoken of her time in the cult claiming, “I did not want to be like those women, [they] were basically there to serve the men sexually.” She says that when her father, an artist, was asked to draw pictures depicting paedophilia in a positive light for pamphlets, he felt it had crossed a line and they escaped.
And it wasn’t just the Mcgowans who spent time in the organisation, Joaquin Phoenix’s family were members for ten years. The actor says, “I think my parents thought they’d found a community that shared their ideas. Cults rarely advertise themselves as such. The moment my parents realised there was something more to it, they got out.” His older brother, River, who died of a drug overdose in 1993, claims he first had sex when he was just four while in the cult. Clearly traumatised, he added that he’d completely blocked the events out of his mind.
After the family left, they changed their surname to Phoenix to symbolise their new start. The cult is now known as The Family International and still operates all over the world.
take a Deep Breath
Bear with us for this one, it’s pretty weird. In the early ’80s, actress Michelle Pfeiffer became involved with a movement that believed humans could exist without food or water. “Breatharianism” has its roots in ancient Hindu texts that tell of humans being sustained solely by “prana” – the vital life force. A number of Breatharians were known to have starved to death.
Michelle, then in her twenties, was encouraged by a couple to follow the practice. “They were very controlling,” she’s said. “I wasn’t living with them, but I was there a lot and they were always telling me I needed to come more. I had to pay for all the time I was there, so it was financially very draining.” When she tried to leave, the couple persuaded her into thinking she wouldn’t survive without them. Luckily, the actress met her first husband, Peter
Horton, who was making a film about the Moonies cult. While helping him research, Michelle realised she herself was in one. She quickly got the hell out.
FROM CULT TO COMMUNE
For Winona Ryder, the word “cult” may be a little strong, but there’s no denying she had an unusual upbringing. Her family relocated to the Rainbow commune in California when she was seven. They were cut off from modern amenities, had no electricity, and were forced to live off the land.
Winona has since commented, “People think I was in a cult. And it was not a cult at all.”
SCIENTOLOGY
We can’t write about cults without visiting our old friend Tom Cruise. The poster boy of Scientology, Cruise and pal John Travolta are outspoken members of what Tom calls, a “beautiful religion”. Founded by L Ron Hubbard in 1954, the Church of Scientology believes man is an immortal spiritual being who has many lifetimes. There’s also some weird stuff about being descended from aliens, which they have officially distanced themselves from and now get upset by if it’s brought up.
The Church is purposely shrouded in secrecy and has a reputation for allegedly punishing anyone who speaks negatively about it. In a letter to his followers, Hubbard called this the “attack the attacker” policy and noted the “correct procedure” for attacking enemies. This allows opponents of the religion to be “deprived of property or injured by any means... tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed”. Shudder. ■ KATIE HOLLOWAY