Michael Rosenbaum has addressed the Allison Mack NXIVM cult situation during an appearance on the This Past Weekend podcast. Rosenbaum and Mack appeared together in seven seasons of Smallville.
“I’ve chosen not to talk about it only because it’s shocking and all I can say is this: When I was on that show, Allison was the sweetest, most professional — she was just a great girl, great actress,” Rosenbaum said on his podcast.
“It’s like someone telling you that your brother murdered someone,” he continued. “You’re like, ‘No, he didn’t. I know my brother. He wouldn’t kill anybody.’ It’s just so bizarre. The whole story I think is yet to come out. I think it’s just shocking and surprising.”
Because of their age difference, Rosenbaum didn’t hang out with Allison much outside of the show, but he said they always had a mutual respect.
“She was just a great girl, great actress,” Michael said. “I remember [her] doing some self-help stuff. I remember her mentioning something. An organization. And I didn’t really listen. I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, that’s a little culty. That’s not for me.'”
“She was like a lot of actors and actresses. She wanted attention. She wanted approval, and she found something that she probably thought would give her that. Ultimately, inadvertently, she got into something that was bigger than her,” he continued. He also pointed to their interaction when Michael directed an episode of Smallville called “Freak.”
“I directed her in an episode, and she was sweet as hell, and she was like ‘oh, I need to cry. Can you tell me that nice story about your grandma?’ And I would tell her the story and she would cry, and we would roll camera. She was just sweet, and she was nice… I didn’t expect this. This is a curve ball, but again, I didn’t really know her,” Michael recalled.
“I think she was a pretty girl. She was smart… this is why it’s so shocking to me. Yes, she was younger. She could have easily been mind-f*cked, and who knows? They could have promised her these things, and she was empowered by these things, and somehow, she fell down this… maybe. For me it’s shocking. It just makes me sad, ultimately. It just makes me sad to know someone who really was a sweetheart could be capable of something like this,” Rosenbaum said.
Allison faces 15 years to life in prison if convinced for her role in Keith Raniere’s NXIVM organization.
You can watch video of Michael’s interview below.