Kirstie Alley Defends Tom Cruise And Scientology As Scientologists Begin To Attack THE MASTER

While THE MASTER may be cleaning up at the Venice Film Festival, many scientologists are doing all they can to protest the film, including reportedly harassing the film's distributors over at The Weinstein Company.

While THE MASTER may be cleaning up at the Venice Film Festival, it is being reported that many scientologists are doing all they can to protest the film, including reportedly harassing the film’s distributors over at The Weinstein Company.

The New York Post is reporting that Scientology church members have been “inundating” Weinstein with “strange calls” criticizing the picture.  Sources also tell the newspaper that members may be planning ways to discredit the film over the coming weeks, including a dedicated Scientology-funded ad campaign, promoting the church’s message wherever the movie is being advertised.

Many have wondered how much of THE MASTER is based on the world of Scientology.  The plot of the film, as described by Joblo, is “centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as “the Master” whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.”

We found out recently that Tom Cruise, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken Scientologists, saw the movie (He appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, MAGNOLIA).  No word has been released from his camp about his opinion, but with this situation and the recent article investigating possible attempts by the organization to find a wife for Cruise before he married Katie Holmes, it seems like the scrutiny may just be beginning.

One person, however, who is speaking out to defend her religion is actress Kirstie Alley, who told Entertainment Tonight that all the articles and opinions that have been coming out, especially the Vanity Fair article, is like a sad gossip game:

“I think whenever you have articles written that are third and fourth parties’ opinions, it’s like the game Gossip and you don’t get the truth…I think that a magazine of that caliber should have interviewed [Tom], and then they would get the truth.”

So what does Alley really think about all the rumors involving Scientology?

“I think that probably all religions sound bizarre to people who are not the practitioners of them…To me, it’s so normal, and probably 90 percent of the crazy stuff I hear isn’t true.”

So the real question is…do you think that the world of Scientology is just being blown out of proportion by rumors and hearsay?  Or is the beautiful rug being slowly lifted to reveal all the dirt that lies underneath?

THE MASTER opens in limited release this Friday and everywhere on September 21st.

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