At last night’s (cheesy) G-Star Raw show at the Armory, we were so disarmed by the low-key That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson — seemingly kind, and adorable with his beard and hat — that we didn’t ask the lifelong Scientologist anything salacious about Tom Cruise or Kirstie Alley. Masterson, however — in town to buy stuff for his soon-to-open East Hollywood boutique Confederacy — amiably fielded our questions about his hot-button religion. He’s not offended by the media’s depiction of Scientology, he says: “Good reporters will actually go and check out what they’re writing about. And those articles are always way different. But that doesn’t sell magazines. You watch the news to watch people’s heads blow up.” But what about folks referring to his church as a cult? “It’s pretty simple,” he replied. “A cult is a secret society. There’s nothing secret about Scientology.” Really? “A lot of my friends that are studying Scientology are Jewish or Christian — they go to synagogue or church, but they come to Scientology to help them with business or with their family or studying. It’s a religious philosophy. And it works.” Perhaps we will take that stress test next time we pass through the Union Square subway stop.
