Juliette Lewis - a Christian and a Scientologist

Juliette Lewis is interviewed by Eric Spitznagel for Vanity Fair, and although he says she has an image as a "high-strung nut job," the actress wound up sounding like a level-headed good sport, as he asked about her acting, her music and her religion.

"I'm a Christian!" she says, when Spitznagel asked if she'd be celebrating Christmas this year, even though she's a Scientologist.

"I think there's so much confusion because people don't understand a religion where you can be another religion but you can still practice Scientology. That's why it's completely progressive. It's just tools for living. It's about understanding one's self and others and compassion and how to communicate better and how to live in this troubled society. It's really basic, common sense stuff. It has nothing to do with all this funny folklore that surrounds it. You could be a Jewish Scientologist or a Buddhist Scientologist or a Christian Scientologist or anything else."

"Do you believe your ancestors were reincarnated aliens?" he asks.

"That's not been a part of my experience, no," says Lewis, laughing.

"So... you don't believe you came from aliens?"

"I was thinking about where that idea came from, and I was like, 'Oh, maybe it's because [L. Ron] Hubbard was a successful science fiction writer, so they're confusing his science fiction with his other studies that have nothing to do with science fiction.' It's like you thinking I might punch somebody in the face because I played somebody who punched somebody in the face in a movie."

Spitznagel says, "That's actually a pretty good analogy. I wasn't expecting that."

"I'm used to misconceptions," replies Lewis. "And honestly, I don't care to explain Scientology to people. You can investigate it on your own. ... The one thing that troubles me is when rumor becomes hatred and prejudice towards a group of people. That's when it becomes scary, when you have people trying to take away other people's right to practice a religion of your own choosing."