‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Star Elisabeth Moss Speaks Out About Her ‘Right To Believe’ In Scientology
In a new interview with The Daily Beast, actress Elisabeth talked at length about a topic she rarely discusses — her involvement with the Church of Scientology, reports People.
Moss said that in choosing to practice the belief, she consciously made the decision to become educated about the faith and form her own opinions, advising that others curious about the organization should do the same.
The actress maintained that her relationship with Scientology in no way conflicts with her own core beliefs, which she holds strong.
“It’s a complicated thing because the things that I believe in, I can only speak to my personal experience and my personal beliefs. One of the things I believe in is freedom of speech. I believe we as humans should be able to critique things. I believe in freedom of the press. I believe in people being able to speak their own opinions. I don’t ever want to take that away from anybody, because that actually is very important to me.”
Moss added that censoring the opinions and beliefs of others would only lead to the rise of societies like Gilead, a totalitarian regime in The Handmaid’s Tale that suppresses religious freedom and oppresses women.
When asked about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s alleged anti-LGBTQ beliefs, she denied sharing the stance and commented that the subject was too much to go into and unpack.
She went on to stress her staunch support of the LGBTQ community and public identification as a feminist, as well as her belief “in people being able to do what they want to do, to love who they want to love, to be the person that they want to be — whoever that is.”
Elisabeth Moss on Her Relationship with Scientology: 'You Can't Take Away' My Right to 'Believe' https://t.co/eyEmQzgwg2
— People (@people) April 10, 2019
Moss was adamant that while she couldn’t speak to other people’s experiences, her personal ideals were a huge contributing factor to her involvement in the Hulu drama.
Members of the actress’s family first exposed her to Scientology, leading her to eventually adopt what she considers a “self-applied” practice that helps her stay centered.
Moss has seldom spoken about her beliefs, preferring instead to preserve what she calls her right to privacy, and remarked that addressing the topic in a sound bite or interview was difficult due to the complexity of the issue.
The Emmy winner said she chooses to refrain from discussing not just religion but her personal life as well. Moss ultimately expressed a desire for her work and art to speak for themselves.
