Leaving Scientology

“I was in a cult for thirty-four years. Everyone else could see it. I don’t know why I couldn’t.” In this profile, film director Paul Haggis talks about his departure from the Church of Scientology. Haggis was prominent in both Scientology and Hollywood, two communities that often converge. He had been in the organization for nearly thirty-five years. Haggis wrote the screenplay for “Million Dollar Baby,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2004, and he wrote and directed “Crash,” which won Best Picture the next year—the only time in Academy history that that has happened.