J. Lo Hesitant To Add 'Scientologist' To Her Multi-Hyphenate Resume
In the "special skills" area on the back of her headshot, renaissance woman Jennifer Lopez is able to list so very many things: whispery acting, AutoTune proficiency, early 1990s dance mastery... the list goes on and on. Still, there is one useful Hollywood skill that La Lopez has always been cagey about showing off, and it's her intimate familiarity with Scientology. Though her dad has been a Scientologist for over twenty years and Lopez pals around with famous L. Ron disciples like Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and Leah Remini, she tells the Daily Beast that she's still a free agent — though her new twins might not be so lucky:
"Scientologists don't believe in shrinks. Would you ever call on Scientology if you were having [emotional] problems again?" I ask. "I do know a lot about Scientology. And I know about the practices. I know all about what the technology is and all that kind of stuff. It's very helpful. So in a sense, yeah, you do call on it." "Do you consider yourself a Scientologist?" "No." "If you were, would you be open about it?" "Yeah. I wouldn't have a problem saying it because I know what it is. I have no problems with it and it really actually bothers me that people have such a negative feeling towards it." "That it is too exotic? Too cultish?" "Just negative feelings." "Would you consider schooling Emme and Max in a Scientology school?" I ask. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind. Not at all. Because I know that the technologies that they have are very helpful… It's all about communication. That's the thing I really don't like about talking about this. I do know so many great people who do do it, who choose it as a lifestyle and really follow it and it is their religion…I just wish that people wouldn't judge it without knowing what it is."
Sounds like someone's been comparing notes with Will Smith! Though Lopez still seems to clam up somewhat when asked about Scientology, we'd wager that she's merely saving the good stuff for her TLC reality show. Why blow your wad in an interview on Tina Brown's headache-inducing HuffPo competitor when you could spin a season-long arc (culminating in a finale featuring Jenna Elfman, Nancy Cartwright, and Erika Christensen in a girls' spa day/niacin purification ritual) out of the same material? [Photo Credit: AP]