John Stamos has recalled the time he was nearly recruited to join the Church of Scientology in the 1980s.
The Fuller House star, 60, wrote about his close call with the controversial religion in his newly released memoir, If You Would Have Told Me.
He explained his introduction to Scientology came from his former acting teacher’s assistant.
“I’m walking to my car and Mia runs out and hands me my workbooks,” Stamos wrote in an excerpt via the New York Post. “‘Hey, you forgot these.’ She adds an extra book, the size of a brick, to my stack. ‘Start with this one,’ she says, smiling. ‘I think it will open your eyes to some amazing things.’
“I crack open the book while on my shift at Yellow Basket [restaurant],” the actor continued. “There’s a lot about control: controlling your reactionary mind, controlling energy, controlling space and controlling time.”
Stamos said he then met her at an address that he soon found out was Scientology’s Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, California, which he described as “grand, ornate and creepy as f*** – a cross between Chateau Marmont, Disney’s Haunted Mansion and a mental hospital”.
The General Hospital alum, however, still entered and took part in one of Scientology’s infamous auditing sessions. According to Scientology’s website, the questioning process is used to “bring people from a condition of spiritual blindness to spiritual existence”.
John Stamos and the Church of Scientology— (Getty Images)
“All I can think about is the Wayback Machine from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show deployed by the genius beagle, Mr Peabody, and his adopted human boy, Sherman, to time travel through different dimensions,” Stamos recounted.
“I’m handed two round things that look like cans. I put one to my ear and the other to my mouth and mimic talking into an old-timey telephone: ‘Hello, there.’”
Stamos remembered “the weird little man” conducting the session pinched his hand. “He begins to question me about committing crimes, asks if I have negative thoughts about Scientology or [founder] L Ron Hubbard and probes into some strange sex inquiries,” the actor added.
“The Wayback Machine needle jumps in the corner, and Mia looks disappointed. Apparently, I’m not Scientology material. Darn it.”
Scientology has long been a source of intrigue and controversy. Though categorised as a cult in Germany, the Church of Scientology is considered a religion by others and has generated headlines about teachings that many deem restrictive.
This, however, hasn’t stopped several Hollywood actors from advocating for the religion, including Tom Cruise, its highest-profile member. Find out what other celebrities have been associated with Scientology here.
Elsewhere in his tell-all memoir, Stamos reflected on the “awful” moment he caught his former girlfriend in bed with Tony Danza.
If You Would Have Told Me is out now.
