The Truth About Jason Beghe's Connection To Scientology
Fans may recognize actor Jason Beghe as Hank Voight in NBC's "Chicago P.D.," his biggest role to date, but the actor — who has enjoyed a career spanning almost four decades in Hollywood — is also well known for another reason: his iconic raspy voice. Speaking to the Daily Beast in 2017, Beghe explained that his unique voice is a result of a car accident. When the actor was recovering in the hospital, he pulled out the tubes and consequently distorted his voice. "I was in a coma for three and a half weeks. When I would come out of the coma, since I was intubated from being on life support, I would pull the tube out and it made [my voice] even more f*cked up."
And that's not the only thing about Beghe that stands out. He also is a part of the small minority of Hollywood stars who once identified as Scientologists. But In 2007, after over a decade as a Scientologist, the actor discovered he had very different feelings about the organization. Read on to learn more about Jason Beghe's connection to Scientology.
Jason Beghe said a life event changed his mind about Scientology
According to the Daily Beast, Jason Beghe was introduced to Scientology in 1994 by his acting coach, Milton Katselas, who happened to be a member of the organization. The actor quickly moved up the ranks of the religion, and within about 10 years, he reached the highest status possible as "operating Thetan." The level means a person can "handle things without having to use a body or physical means," as the position is a "spiritual state of being," per the Scientology website.
Along with reaching the highest rank, Beghe had also donated a million dollars to the organization and was thought to be the poster boy for Scientology, as he attended many church events and defended the religion. Then after 13 years, the actor suddenly parted ways with the controversial organization. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2015, Beghe said fatherhood changed his perspective.
"I think my breaking point came when my wife got pregnant," he said. "I was like, 'Holy sh*t. I'm going to be a father.' I wanted to be a good father so I started thinking about what that meant ... I figured out the best thing I could be was myself, so I did a fearless inventory of all the bullsh*t in my life. At that point, I realized that Scientology wasn't me." The actor even posted a two-hour YouTube video denouncing the religion. But even though Beghe tried to separate himself from Scientology, the religion wouldn't make it easy for him.
Jason Beghe had a happy ending
As more information has come out about Scientology — thanks to whistleblowers like actor and former member Leah Remini — one thing is clear: The organization goes after its critics. Once Jason Beghe left the church, he told Rolling Stone Scientology spent millions of dollars to upset him. He revealed the organization even filed a lawsuit claiming he beat someone up, though he denies that ever happened. Beghe also said he and his kids were followed by private investigators.
"What's ironic is they have this whole big thing about disconnecting from people outside of Scientology, but if you f*cking disconnect from them, those b*tches will not let you go," Beghe explained. Interestingly enough, the actor revealed he didn't know the full extent of Scientology's abuse — including their infamous Sea Organization — until after he left the church, which is why he became a vocal critic of Scientology after leaving.
Fortunately, Beghe is in a good place with both his personal life and his career, evident by the popularity of "Chicago P.D." The actor told Rolling Stone he takes pleasure in flaunting his success in front of organization's face. "I know [the Scientologists] hate me so much," he said. "Their entire scripture says that if you leave Scientology, you're going to fall apart and die. The fact that I kicked their a*ses and have these tough guys posters saying, 'Don't F*ck With Me' all over the country, there was a little bit of a giggle in that for me."