Known for his heavy involvement in Scientology, John Travolta refuses to spend time watching Alex Gibney's HBO documentary, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
The film, based on Lawrence Wright's novel Going Clear, peels away the layers around Scientology and attempts to leak physical and mental abuse, blackmail and other traumatic experiences within the religious group and scientologists. Rumors have circulated stating the church has blackmail on Travolta, thus his continued involvement. Spanky Taylor, former friend of Travolta and ex-Scientologist, claims she was forced to give labor while the child received extremely poor care afterward.
Travolta said, "I've been so happy with my [Scientology] experience in the last 40 years, that I really don't have anything to say that would shed light on [a documentary] so decidedly negative. I've been brought through storms that were insurmountable, and [Scientology has] been so beautiful for me, that I can't even imagine attacking it," as noted by Rolling Stone.
Tom Cruise is another name highly associated with Scientology as both he and Travolta are examined in the film. Gibney looks further into wealth and the idea that better treatment from the church comes with a price and social status.
"For [Cruise] not to denounce, or at least investigate, what's going on seems appalling to me. He gets a lot of money and a lot of privilege from a lot of fans, and the idea that allows the vulnerable to be preyed upon in his name seems reprehensible," said Gibney, reports Fox News.
Travolta refutes negative claims against the church and goes even further to say that Scientology aided him through some life's worst hardships, including the 2009 death of his son, Jett. Although the documentary is pretty harsh towards Travolta and Cruise, the Grease actor isn't planning on watching any time soon.
