Orange Is The New Black star Laura Prepon has revealed she left the Church of Scientology a number of years ago.
The actress, who also starred in That ’70s Show, said that having two children with husband Ben Foster led her to reflect inwards.
“As a brand new mother, I was reflecting so much on my own upbringing and the way I was mothered,” Prepon told PEOPLE.
“I was forced to look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn’t looking at before.”
“I’m no longer practising Scientology,” she added.
“I’ve always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I’ve prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I’ve studied Chinese meridian theory.
“I haven’t practised Scientology in close to five years and it’s no longer part of my life.”
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Prepon added that she and her husband – who never practised Scientology – now prefer to meditate.
“We meditate daily and I’m really liking it,” she said, “because it’s something that helps me to hear my own voice and it’s something we can do together”.
It’s a stark change from previous comments made by the star about Scientology.
Speaking in the Scientology-owned Celebrity magazine in 2015, Prepon credited the religion for her work on Orange Is The New Black.
“I feel that some of my best work I’ve done has been on Orange Is The New Black. This show really does push you out of your comfort zone in an amazing way…I feel a lot of the auditing that I’ve had helps me be willing to go there and be free and vulnerable and really jump into these scenes wholeheartedly.
“There are days where it’s like, okay…let’s do this! And you have to drop all of your pre-conceived ideas, or mis-emotions, or being uncomfortable and just go there.
“It’s so gratifying and fulfilling as an artist to be able to really be there in present time, creating, with no vias. Auditing has helped me so much in getting to this place. I have more to go and can’t wait for what’s to come. It’s magic, it really is.”
Other famous Scientologists include Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.
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