Actress Hannah Murray, best known for her roles in Skins and Game of Thrones, has spoken candidly about her involvement with a wellness cult that led to a psychotic episode and her being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. In her new memoir, The Make-Believe, Murray explores the convergence of hedonism and the self-help industry that drew her into what she describes as a 'wellness cult'. The cult, which she now views as ludicrous, promised wisdom and specialness but cost her thousands of pounds and severely damaged her mental health.
Murray, now 36, says she experiences a 'surge of joy' at not being an actor any more. She reflects on the pressures of the industry, including constant scrutiny of her weight, demands to strip for cameras, and the emotional rollercoaster of auditions. She describes a 'hamster wheel' of seeking validation through roles, which never lasted. This search for lasting specialness led her to personal growth books, meditation, and eventually the cult.
The cult leader, she recalls, wore a symbolic necklace and carried a giant Starbucks cup. Murray says she experienced a catastrophic psychotic episode and was sectioned in an acute mental health unit. A psychiatrist later diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. In the nine years since, she has written her memoir to make sense of that period, raking through texts, notes, and films, and talking to friends.
Murray's acting career included Skins, Game of Thrones, and films such as Bridgend, Detroit, and Charlie Says. She also earned a degree in English from Cambridge. Now living in an East Anglian town, she leads a quiet life, cooking and writing, and stays away from the wellness world. She describes the memoir as a frank exploration of the 'underbelly of the wellness and spiritual world'.
