Striking actors: Need non-union work? Scientology has your back!

Six years ago, we pointed out an interesting situation with Scientology and casting calls.

Scientology, after all, is perpetually making nutty films about the “technology” of founder L. Ron Hubbard, and those roles used to go to Scientologists themselves. But that became a problem when so many disillusioned members began a mass exodus starting about 20 years ago, and Scientology was forced to reshoot so many videos because the people featured in them had left the church.

The Cine division increasingly turned to non-Scientologists to star in these productions, and that resulted in a steady stream of pretty unintentionally funny casting calls for Los Angeles area actors who might be tempted to make a quick buck appearing in a goofy short film that only Scientologists would end up seeing anyway.

Now, of course, all of Hollywood is out of work as the screenwriters and actors are both out on strike at the same time, something that hasn’t happened since 1960.

We figure the temptation to accept some non-union work from Scientology will be even greater than usual, and sure enough, the church is still putting out casting calls.

Here’s one we thought you might find amusing, submitted to us by a reader.

 
It’s downright Shakespearean, isn’t it?

But can a striking SAG/AFTRA actor take a job like this without running afoul of the union?

Looking at the guidelines, it appears that nutty Scientology films may fall under some of the exceptions allowed by the union, right? Here’s the list. Let us know where you think Scientology tech films might fall in this rubric.

 
Got some stories about what it’s like to act in a Scientology production? Drop us a line!

 
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Technology Cocktail

“Obtaining a permanent franchise is a big step. It means finance, promotion, success. The exact pattern of how this is done now exists and will be put out when centres are ready for it. Special people will come and do the basic work. The advertisement copy, texts, incorporation papers, everything is being made ready right now. We’re moving from small time to Big Time.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1959

 
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.

 
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH

— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see

[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner

 
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Source Code

“Do you realize the value of auditing is not measurable in dollars and cents to a person who is being audited properly? It is just not measurable. A hundred thousand dollars an hour would be something he would talk about. Got the idea? He would talk about. He might not be able to pay it but he could consider it. Now, that’s quite interesting. He could consider it, without gaping and jumping out the window and so forth.” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 29, 1958

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The enemy seeks by false reports to blunt our org image and this by depressing stats recoils into Div III making finance hard. It is interesting that the enemy is also depressing world stats in this same way. False alarming reports of conditions are made so that the finance of nations is being injured. The World Bank loans the bulk of its funds to India. It has now pressured India to nationalize its banks. It also forces birth control and unpopular measures on India to cause civil unrest and give the government a bad name with its people. The world bank’s biggest debtors are forced to act in criminal and unpopular ways. False reports are spread to injure credit. We were smart enough never to borrow or subsidize. Thus we are still alive.” — The Commodore, July 29, 1969

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Overheard in the FreeZone

“I see the whole story as a CIA plot to destroy Scientology. For this narrative they wanted a monopoly to write the history of Scientology. Not a pro-Scientology history, of course an anti-Scientology history. To make this narrative believable, they need documents to prove their viewpoint. How to get these? To be convincing, they needed docs ‘from LRH himself.’ How to get access? So they used their shills within Scientology to create a project-CSW to write the LRH bio by a writer with an excellent reputation: the non-Scientologist Omar Garrison. With this CSW it was possible to get the support of everyone and to collect all needed documents in 21 boxes and to bring them out of the orgs. And no Scientologists had an overview, which docs are included in these 21 boxes. Now Gerry put an ARCx there to explain, that he run away with the docs and handed them over to his lawyer and later to the court. In this time it was possible to insert any needed faked docs into the boxes. No one could later prove that these newly introduced docs have not been there in the first place. So they get validated ‘as the original raw data’ by the court proceedings. This is the raw material on which any evil ‘history maker’ can base their propaganda against LRH and Scientology. An intelligently set up plot — I can only admire it (in the hope that it then vanishes).”

 
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Past is Prologue

2000: Ursula Caberta, head of the Scientology task force in Hamburg, Germany was greeted at the Tampa airport by a group of Scientologists protesting her visit to the Lisa McPherson Trust. “A beige shirt is shouting ‘Go back to Germany, Nazi criminal!’ twice through cupped hands. Meanwhile crowd of clams is pointing and shouting ‘This lady is a criminal!’ ‘You’re not welcome!’ ‘Nazi!’ and similar shouts. Blonde middle aged woman, ‘Go back to Germany, we like freedom of religion here.’ Airport cops hold them back, and there are shouts ‘You’re all damned! You’re all damned!’ An announcement was made in the terminal after the crowd died down: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, in case you were worried about what just happened here, those people were members of the Church of Scientology.’ End of announcement. That was all that was needed to be said.”

 
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Random Howdy

“I want a cheap E-meter so I can sec-check my cats and I can get to the bottom of mysteries like, why do you chew on plastic bags? Why do you eat your own hair? Why do you refuse to help me do the dishes?”

 
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentencing on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing August 1.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

 
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SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

 
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. 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 a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] The spy who never was? L. Ron Hubbard and ‘Maj. Ian Macbean of the British Secret Service’
[TWO years ago] How insidious is Scientology? Cathy Mullins on how she got sucked back in after escaping
[THREE years ago] Miami chiropractor and Scientology donor Dennis Nobbe charged with COVID relief fraud
[FOUR years ago] Driving people away (and begging them back) was built into Scientology from the start
[FIVE years ago] Nancy Cartwright goes home as Scientology ‘Ideal’-izes the world
[SIX years ago] Jon Atack: The biggest thing L. Ron Hubbard got wrong about Buddhism
[SEVEN years ago] Arlene Cordova, 1933-2016: In her 80s, she took on Scientology and reunited with her daughter
[EIGHT years ago] How Scientology schools prepare young minds for the rigors of the Sea Org
[NINE years ago] Hana Whitfield: What it’s like to be stalked by Scientology
[TEN years ago] Jim Lynch, Scientology’s Shill, Dies at 59
[ELEVEN years ago] ‘Tom Cruise Worships David Miscavige Like a God’: The John Brousseau Story, Part Two
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology’s Hollywood Landmarks: More from THR Reporter Daniel Miller

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 29, 2023 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

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, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), 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, 15 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

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 

Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone