HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: John Stamos, the well-known actor born in Cypress, California, hails from a mixed ethnic background. His father's roots trace back to Greece, with the original family surname being 'Stamotopoulos.'
In an explosive memoir titled 'If You Would Have Told Me,' which is now available to the public, the 60-year-old actor, who is Christian, shares his near-miss encounter with the controversial Church of Scientology during the 1980s.
John Stamos' unexpected introduction to Scientology
The intriguing episode unfolded when his former acting teacher's assistant discreetly handed him some Scientology books. Stamos recalled the moment, stating, "I'm walking to my car, and Mia runs out and hands me my workbooks. 'Hey, you forgot these.'"
"She adds an extra book, the size of a brick, to my stack. 'Start with this one,' she says, smiling. 'I think it will open your eyes to some amazing things,'" Stamos writes in his memoir.
Mia encouraged him to visit an address that later turned out to be Scientology's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, California. “I crack open the book while on my shift at Yellow Basket [restaurant],” Stamos penned. “There’s a lot about control: controlling your reactionary mind, controlling energy, controlling space and controlling time.”
John Stamos details his Scientology 'auditing' test
However, Stamos' interaction with Scientology, unlike some famous celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Moss, John Travolta, and purportedly Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, was short-lived.
His visit to the Celebrity Centre left him with an eerie impression, and he described it as "grand, ornate, and creepy as f–k — a cross between Chateau Marmont, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and a mental hospital."
Nonetheless, he entered the Celebrity Centre and took part in a Scientology "auditing" session. “All I can think about is the Wayback Machine from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show deployed by the genius beagle, Mr. Peabody, and his adopted human boy, Sherman, to time travel through different dimensions,” Stamos said.
“I’m handed two round things that look like cans. I put one to my ear and the other to my mouth and mimic talking into an old timey telephone: ‘Hello, there.’”
However, the session took a peculiar turn as the Scientology practitioner questioned him about "committing crimes, asks if I have negative thoughts about Scientology or L. Ron Hubbard and probes into some strange sex inquiries.”
“The Wayback Machine needle jumps in the corner, and Mia looks disappointed. Apparently, I’m not Scientology material. Darn it,” Stamos joked in his retelling.
Is John Stamos an atheist?
It seems Stamos has stuck to his Christian roots and believes in earnest but simple prayers to God. So he isn't an atheist or even agnostic.
He once posted his 11-year-old self's handwritten prayer that his mother supposedly saved from his childhood, praising its simplicity.
It read, "Dear Lord, I look up to you because you are you. I want to do my very best on earth so I can be with you at the end. Help me to do my best. Thank you.”
