Brow Beat

Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright Explain Why Scientology Appeals to Aspiring Actors

Check out all Slate’s interviews from the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Going Clear, director Alex Gibney’s film adaptation of Laurence Wright’s bestselling book about the Church of Scientology, was one of the most anticipated premieres of Sundance. But it’s not the only recent film to look at the checkered history of the church—P.T. Anderson’s The Master was widely understood to be a fictionalized portrait of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

In the second part of our interview with Gibney and Wright, we asked them what they thought of The Master—they were fans—and they explained why the church appeals to aspiring actors.

Slate Sessions video edited by Rob Naylor. Interview booked by Raquel Bruno. Executive produced by Ayana Morali.

Previously
How Much Scientology Made It Into The Master?