Danny Masterson's Role In Face/Off Did Not Age Well With Fans

Summary

• Danny Masterson's involvement with the Church of Scientology was linked to his crimes, as former members alleged that the church covered up sexual violence.
• Masterson played an assaulter in the film Face/Off, which many found ironic given his later scandal and conviction for rape.
• Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce shortly after his rape sentence, citing the unimaginable strain on their marriage and family.

Danny Masterson was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for two counts of rape, two years since he was charged with raping three women including an ex-girlfriend. Following the verdict, old footage of the That '70s Show alum saying inappropriate things about women resurfaced.

Even his former co-star Ashton Kutcher — who begged the court to be lenient to Masterson alongside his wife Mila Kunis — was slammed for an old clip where he said then-15-year-old Hillary Duff was "one of the girls we're all waiting for to turn 18, along with the Olsen twins."

But what's interesting was Masterson's role in Nicholas Cage and John Travolta's 1977 film, Face/Off. Fans thought it was very telling of his later scandal... Here's a closer look at the actor's crimes.

Scientology Allegedly Covered Up Danny Masterson's Crimes

Masterson's involvement with the Church of Scientology was linked to his crimes during the trial. At one point, even former member Lisa Marie Presley was implicated in the case. Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury in May 2023 that the Ranch star "drugs his victims to gain control. He does this to take away his victims' ability to consent."

"The church taught his victims, 'Rape isn't rape, you caused this, and above all, you are never allowed to go to law enforcement,'" she continued. "In Scientology, the defendant is a celebrity and he is untouchable." Former Scientologist, Leah Remini later said that Masterson and the religious institution were "in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence."

She then claimed that "for over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes. While Danny was the only one sentenced, his conviction and sentence are indictments against Scientology."

Scientology reps previously denied such allegations, saying that the "church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land" and that "all allegations to the contrary are totally false."

Kutcher and Kunis were also dragged into Masterson's Scientology ties. Claire Headley, former member and expert witness against Masterson, said: "Yes, Masterson would have been tasked with bringing them all in to Scientology." The couple have made guest appearances in the church's events.

Danny Masterson Played An Assaulter In Face/Off

Masterson was Dominique Swain's onscreen boyfriend on Face/Off. In a scene, the former forces himself on the latter's teenage character, which then leads to Travolta (Swain's character's dad) beating him up. Someone on Reddit posted a screenshot of the scene to which one sarcastically commented: "Well this aged well."

Another Redditor said: "I wonder how many people on earth randomly just watched Face/Off -movie after those news and came here to check out if it really was him. Ironic casting [choice]." Over at Twitter, someone wrote that "Danny Masterson getting the s**t kicked out of him for trying to rape a girl in Face/Off is some beautiful cinema."

Many agreed, with most of them calling it "method acting" on Masterson's part. The actor famously had an interaction with Conan O'Brien where he admitted to his pervy ways. On the Late Night show, the Urge star was making a point about his Long Island accent that "just goes away naturally, and then there's also certain words that there’' nothing you can do about."

He then shared a story about his actor friend, Bodhi Elfman, who Masterson says "always teases me, and he says 'Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls?'" The host then asked: "So why are you asking people to do that? That’s the more important question."

"I mean, you got 'em, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab," Masterson arrogantly replied. O'Brien ominously said: "I've heard about you. And you'll be caught soon, I know you will." Masterson agreed, saying "I will."

Danny Masterson's Wife Filed For Divorce Right After His Rape Sentence

Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips filed for divorce shortly after the former's 30-year rape sentence. Married for 12 years, the couple stayed strong throughout the accusations and the trial. Phillips' attorney, Peter Lauzon confirmed the news to CBS, saying: "Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband at this unfortunate time."

He continued: "Her priority remains with her daughter. This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family." Lauzon also noted that Phillips "acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter." Like her husband, the actress faced some controversy in the past as well.

In 2017, Daniel Franzese accused her of being physically abusive to him on the set of 2014's Bully. "She body-shamed me and ridiculed me about my sexuality and physically assaulted me," said the Mean Girls alum. He went on to claim that Phillips kicked him so hard in the head that he was worried about whether he got a concussion. The actress made a public apology but insisted that she couldn't remember anything from that time due to her past battle with substance abuse.