In the heart of the eclectic Venice neighborhood in Los Angeles, the winds of rumor have been swirling, painting actor Andrew Keegan in a nebulous, almost diabolical light. Best known for his roles in the television shows, “Trinkets,” “Moesha,” “Party of Five” and “7th Heaven”, as well as his appearances in movies such as “10 Things I Hate About You”, “The Broken Hearts Club” and “O”, Keegan recently felt the urge to address these rumors that have, ill or well-intentioned, branded him as the leader of a Californian cult, a suggestion he laughed off during his recent appearance on the “Pod Meets World” podcast.
Born from his desires to harness the sense of community he found in Venice Beach, Keegan, alongside a group of like-minded individuals, transformed an empty Hare Krishna Temple into “Full Circle”, a movement focused on fostering positive change within the community. Once a part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, these individuals, self-styled as “hippie types”, found themselves drawn together by a shared sense of spirituality.
Recalling those formative years, Keegan said, “Looking back, it was insane. I was putting down tens of thousands of dollars, but we opened it up and spent three years and really did build an amazing friend group”. Between 2014 to 2017, they held nearly 1,000 events, attracting, as Keegan claimed, thousands of people. Still, the shadow of the ‘cult’ rumor loomed over them, sparked by a sensationalist Vice article entitled, “One of the Stars of ’10 Things I Hate About You’ Started a Religion.”
Denying any nefarious context, Keegan insists that his group was “the opposite of what you would imagine.” Criticizing his own lack of media preparedness, Keegan underlines that there was no esoteric doctrine they subscribed to—just a coalescence of like-minded individuals who sought social connection through their community center. The irony of being labeled a cult leader and mentioned in the same breath as the notorious Heaven’s Gate group is not lost on him. But the actor-cum-community organizer prefers to focus on the positive memories and the impact Full Circle made.
Keegan legally fought for his Full Circle, an outfit that he says was more comparable to the welcoming atmosphere of Burning Man than the insidious image of a cult. It posed a strong contrast to his departure from mainstream Hollywood–but it offered values that were important to him and resonated with individuals who sought the same. More than just a place to hang out, Full Circle was a response — though anticipatory for mainstream culture — to the growing global need for communal life, sustainability and spirituality.
In an era of rampant, and often wild, speculations, it’s a testament to our collective imagination that the openness of Keegan’s Full Circle could be misconstrued as a sinister cult operation. The actor’s initiative to rectify these rumors, however, stands as an essential beacon of truth in a fog of misinformation. Just as Full Circle was an endeavor to build community, so should the discourse around it serve to correct rather than distort. And as the man himself adds, “Maybe we should have come up with a different name.”
Immersed in modern hyperconnectivity but strained by social alienation, we have seen an emergent yearning for authentic communal living. However, society’s understanding, acceptance, and support haven’t quite caught up with such an unusual concept as Full Circle. The suspicions and doubts cascading onto Andrew Keegan, therefore, could be seen more as a reflection of our shared societal discomfort with the unfamiliar rather than an indictment of the actor’s intentions. However, the conversation is, thankfully or not, just getting started.
