Scientology is far from the world's most popular religion, but according to Juliette Lewis, it's largely misunderstood.
The actress, 41, has been a practicing Scientologist for years. While promoting her new movie Kelly & Cal, she recently spoke to The Daily Beast about the controversial religion, defending the practice and its most famous proponent, Tom Cruise.
"I'll get all conspiratorial on you," she told the publication. "I'm just going to throw this out: The mainstream media is funded by pharmaceutical companies. When you have the biggest movie star in the world at the time — Tom Cruise — coming out against anti-depressants and Ritalin and just saying, 'Hey, why don't you put a warning label on there?'… So, when Tom came out about that, I've never seen someone get torn down so hard, and they still brutalize him with Scientology pieces to this day."
Additionally, Lewis went on to speak on her own experience with the religion.
"The thing about Scientology is it is anti-drug in that you're seeking relationship or communication tools — simple basics on how to live better," she told The Daily Beast. "It's a religious philosophy and self-help movement. And you'll never see a truthful word written about it in mainstream media."
Lewis and Cruise are far from the only two celebrity Scientologists. Other practicing stars include Kirstie Alley and John Travolta.
Lewis has spoken about her religious views in the past. The August: Osage County actress offered a more liberal view of Scientology to Vanity Fair in 2010. "I think there's so much confusion because people don't understand a religion where you can be another religion but you can still practice Scientology," she said at the time. "That's why it's completely progressive. It's just tools for living. It's about understanding one's self and others and compassion and how to communicate better and how to live in this troubled society. It's really basic, common sense stuff. It has nothing to do with all this funny folklore that surrounds it. You could be a Jewish Scientologist or a Buddhist Scientologist or a Christian Scientologist or anything else."
