Unearthed Interview Draws Picture Of Allison Mack's Mindset Before Joining Controversial NXIVM Cult
The following article contains mention of sexual assault.
It was a scandal many deemed dark even for the deepest corners of Hollywood. After many years of accusations and a long investigation, "Smallville" alum Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in jail in June 2021 for her role in the NXIVM sex cult. Charged in 2019 with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, the actor first joined NXIVM in 2006 before ascending to the role of leader Keith Raniere's right hand, per The Guardian. Promoting itself superficially as a self-improvement group, NXIVM was, in actuality, a multi-level marketing cult. Mack and other top-tier members would lure other women into joining NXIVM's secret society, Dominus Obsequious Sororium (which, in Latin, loosely translates to "master of the obedient female companions"), or DOS. Among the acts endured by women within DOS were the branding of Raniere's initials upon their bodies, forced sex acts, and restricted food intake.
Originally facing up to 40 years of jail time for her participation in the malicious operation, Mack's sentence was reduced thanks to her aid in the prosecutors' investigation of NXIVM. Labeled "a menace to society" by one of the cult survivors at her sentencing, per the New York Times, Mack's involvement in the group confounds many to this day. Now, a freshly unearthed interview from 2017 sheds new light on just why Mack stayed within NXIVM for so long.
Allison Mack was suffering impostor syndrome when she joined NXIVM
According to a 2017 interview with Vanessa Grigoriadis, Allison Mack joined NXIVM while facing a case of impostor syndrome. "I moved to Albany [NXIVM's headquarters] to fill that emptiness and find the soul of myself again," Mack explained in the interview, which was re-released on a December 26 episode of Grigoriadis and Gabriel Sherman's podcast, "Infamous: Inside America's Biggest Scandals." As Mack recounted, she asked NXIVM ringleader Keith Raniere "if he would help me become a great actress again because I felt like I was a fraud."
Although she later helped prosecutors dismantle NXIVM's criminal empire, Mack denied accusations of criminal wrongdoing in 2017. Mack insisted to Grigoriadis that Raniere was "not the head of a harem" and that she was "not recruiting young, nubile women to be his sex slaves." The "Smallville" alum also likened her situation to a witch hunt, saying, "It's just like, throwing accusations and spreading like wildfire." Although she admitted to questioning her convictions after some friends called her "brainwashed," Mack still stayed with NXIVM.
As reported by Us Weekly in 2018, Mack attempted to recruit — to no avail — high-profile celebs such as Emma Watson and Kelly Clarkson. Mack reached out to the "Harry Potter" star via a tweet, writing that she was "involved in an amazing women's movement" to which Watson might take interest. Neither Watson nor Clarkson responded to her outreach.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).