'We're All Evolving': Actress Laura Prepon Reveals How Becoming A Mom Prompted Her To Leave Scientology
Actress Laura Prepon ruffled some feathers when it was revealed that she practiced Scientology — but in a new interview, the actress disclosed that becoming a mother to her and husband Ben Foster's 4-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son pushed her to ditch the controversial religion several years ago.
"As a brand new mother, I was reflecting so much on my own upbringing and the way I was mothered," the Orange Is the New Black star told PEOPLE. "I was forced to look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn't looking at before."
"If motherhood has taught me anything so far, it's that something can work out for a period of time and then you move on and evolve from that," noted Prepon. "As a new mom, I was riddled with anxiety that I had never experienced before. My friends who were mothers with older kids said, 'Laura, this is a phase, you'll move on and then it will be something different.' And that has transcended into other parts of my life."
Prepon and Foster
"We're all evolving," the That '70s Show star added. "I always see that with my kids. They are changing every day now."
"My daughter is outgoing and wonderful and obsessed with mermaids — it used to be unicorns. She's also very determined and does not give up," she pointed out as an example. "My son is beginning to socialize with kids more in small classes. He's much more calm and observant."
The mom-of-two explained that since childhood, she's "always been very open-minded," especially when it comes to religion.
"I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I've prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I've studied Chinese meridian theory," she shared. "I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life."
Prepon didn't clarify whether she follows another organized religion these days, but she does find peace and comfort by meditating with her spouse.
"We meditate daily and I'm really liking it," she admitted. "It's something that helps me to hear my own voice and it's something we can do together."
