It’s getting very frustrating to see otherwise competent journalists let Elisabeth Moss get away with murder in interviews. Marlow Stern at the Daily Beast is no pushover, and he at least asked Moss more than one question about her involvement in Scientology. But she gave him three non-answers that amounted to nothing, and it irked us that Stern’s editors then claimed that the Daily Beast had a huge exclusive with Moss “opening up” about Scientology.
Well, no, not really. And it’s happened again, with a new piece in the London Sunday Times, a newspaper with a legendary reputation, in a lengthy interview with the Handmaid’s Tale actress this weekend.
Interviewer Chrissy Iley hardly raised the issue of Moss’s portrayal in The Handmaid’s Tale being at odds with her involvement in an organization that was investigated by the FBI for labor trafficking and that for decades forced young women to have abortions so they could keep working 112-hour weeks.
Iley asked Moss about an Instagram utterance she made about The Handmaid’s Tale, saying that Scientology was not oppressive like Gilead. Moss merely nodded that she did feel that way.
I ask if she would like to add anything more, but she says that it sums up her views well. Her answers are short and heartfelt — there’s no defensiveness or weird atmosphere.
So Iley gives Moss cool points for not being weird about it, and the subject isn’t brought up again.
But as disappointing as that missed opportunity was, what really had us fuming was something Moss got away with a few paragraphs earlier.
Iley remarked that a lot of Moss’s characters seemed to have something in common: “Her characters are always losing babies — or giving them up. Peggy in Mad Men, Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale and Robin, the character Moss plays in the BBC drama Top of the Lake, all give up their children.
Moss agreed, saying that it was “weird” that her characters had tended to share that fate. And then, she made a statement that astounded us.
“If I ever have a baby, though, I’m going to hold on to that thing for dear fucking life. I’ll have it chained to me. It’ll be a 50-year-old kid and I’ll be ‘No, you’re staying with me.’”
It’s stunning that Moss gets away with saying things like that without the interviewer from a supposedly sophisticated publication like the Sunday Times not immediately reacting by pointing out that Scientology’s most notorious controversies include forcing young women to have abortions, denying them the chance to have children. And also ripping families apart and keeping mothers from seeing their kids.
Wouldn’t it have been appropriate, at that moment, to ask Elisabeth Moss why Lori Hodgson doesn’t get to hang on to her son and daughter for dear fucking life?
Or that Cindy Plahuta gets a chance to talk to her daughter, or Brian Sheen gets to meet his new grandson, or that Bernie Headley gets a chance to see his daughter while he’s fighting cancer for dear fucking life?
Because those are just a few of the families that have been ripped apart by Scientology purely as leverage to enforce its indoctrination of members and punish those who have broken away, and it’s characteristic of an organization as deeply oppressive and dystopian as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead.
There’s a whole list of other people who are being kept from their loved ones at the bottom of every story we publish. We call it “Scientology disconnection, a reminder” and you can see it below. Every single one of those people would love to see their daughter or son or mother or brother for dear fucking life. Why can’t they, Elisabeth? And why can’t someone ask her that question when they have the chance?
We’re begging any news organizations that knows they’re going to be interviewing Elisabeth Moss to give us a call. We would be happy to educate your interviewers about the organization that Moss represents, and details of her own journey in it, so the next time she doesn’t have such an easy time snowing another publication.
Please, just drop us a line.
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Finally, Captain David Miscavige’s faux-military Scientology ribbons, described and decoded!
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s ultimate prize: For the first time online, the current ‘OT 8’ materials laid bare
[THREE years ago] As Louis Theroux’s Scientology movie hits theaters, its main subject accuses it of deception
[FOUR years ago] VIDEO LEAK: Rare look at Captain David Miscavige giving shipboard Scientology briefing
[FIVE years ago] Deputy ambassador of a small African nation? Scientology wants to buy you lunch!
[SIX years ago] VIDEO: Scientology Leader David Miscavige’s Weird Explanation for the IRS Victory
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology to Marc and Claire Headley: Spy For Us and We’ll Forget the $43K You Owe
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,560 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,689 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,193 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,713 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 733 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 624 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,931 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,799 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,573 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,347 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,693 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,259 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,178 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,346 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,927 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,188 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,227 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,939 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,465 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 991 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,554 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,694 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,014 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,870 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,989 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,344 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,647 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,753 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,155 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,027 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,610 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,105 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,359 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,468 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 6, 2019 at 07:00
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Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
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