Andrew Keegan Spills All About His Supposed Cult: It Was 'A Really Cool Community Center'

The "10 Things I Hate About You" star repurposed an old Hare Krishna temple in Venice Beach in 2014.

Andrew Keegan says he was never a cult leader, but welcomes that myth as “a badge of honor.”

The “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999) star made far-reaching headlines in 2014 when Vice published an article claiming he started his own religion. When asked on Monday’s episode of the “Pod Meets World” podcast what that was like, Keegan cheekily clarified.

“You mean when I woke up one day and was, like, anointed a cult leader?” he quipped.

Keegan explained that he moved to Venice Beach, California, in his 20s and got involved with the local hippie population and Occupy Wall Street chapter. The actor said he “really got immersed in the culture and the community” when an interesting “opportunity” arrived.

“The old Hare Krishna temple … was sitting there empty and we were like, ‘Yo, why don’t we just get some people together and let’s open this place up?’” he said on the podcast. “We … were like, ‘Let’s get it together, let’s do some positive things for the community.’”