“Game of Thrones” Star Hannah Murray Says Wellness Cult Leader Told Her She Was ‘Possessed by a Demon’
“Game of Thrones” Star Hannah Murray Says Wellness Cult Leader Told Her She Was ‘Possessed by a Demon’
Angel SaundersWed, June 24, 2026 at 7:14 PM UTC
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Hannah Murray in April 2019Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty -
Hannah Murray shared her experience being committed to a psychiatric ward after joining what she describes as a wellness cult
The Game of Thrones alum wrote about her version of events in her new memoir, The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness
"All my delusions were still intact; the hospitalization had done nothing to shake them," she wrote
Hannah Murray claims the leader of what she describes as a "wellness cult" told her she was possessed by a demon, leading her to seek treatment that eventually landed her in a psychiatric ward.
In her new memoir, The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness, which came out from The Dial Press on June 23, the 36-year-old former Game of Thrones actress claimed to have been in the basement of a hotel in London when she was involuntarily committed to a hospital.
The English actress previously spoke about her experience, telling The Guardian in a May interview that a man she has only identified as Steve "sat at the very top" of a "pyramid [that] was structured to exploit everyone who tried to climb it."
Hannah Murray as Gilly, 'Game of Thrones,' Season 7Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO
"He exuded power in a way I had never known anyone to exude it. Magical power," she told The Guardian of the group's leader. "I knew I was in the presence of a magician."
In her book, Murray said she'd tapped into her trauma in the past — playing "the anorexic Cassie in the teen drama Skins," and "Gilly in Game of Thrones, a young woman who had had her father's baby," but wanted to go deeper for a role in the 2017 crime drama Detroit.
She spoke to an acting coach who "introduced me to the idea of opening yourself up as much as possible to let something 'come through you,'" describing the process as "almost shamanic," she writes. "I realized, was what I wanted creatively— to connect with something outside myself." she wrote.
Murray says she was then introduced to Steve and "his organization," and then "discovered magic was real," she wrote.
The actress said she was not concerned about being "involuntarily committed," because Steve told her "I had been possessed by a demon" while making Detroit and that he "performed an exorcism" on her.
Once committed, Murray said she frequently reached out to Steve on WhatsApp, referring to him as "my King, my God, my great love."
"I probably sent about 20 messages for every one reply. I did not really care that the dialogue felt one-sided," she said of their correspondence, adding that she placed Steve "on a pedestal above all other humans."
Two weeks after her stay, Murray said she was allowed to go outside for the first time.
The actress said that, while she did receive a visit from an ex-girlfriend who "was receptive, and open," "There was a hierarchy. Steve and I were at the top."
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"I was still very unwell and very confused. And one evening, I snapped. All day, anger had been simmering inside me. Anger at my situation, my hospitalization, my lack of understanding. By the evening it was surging through me, and I knew exactly who I wanted to direct it at," she said.
Murray said she sent Steve a series of texts, telling him she was upset at her parents, the group, and more. She asked him if there was "STILL 'SOMETHING BAD' INSIDE ME FROM DETROIT??!" and asked for clarification after her mother considered Steve to be "head of an evil cult."
The next morning, she claimed to have "two very long messages from Steve," who denied exercising any control over her, saying that she had "free will" to leave the organization whenever she pleased.
"When I read these messages now I feel sick," Murray said. "I feel disgusted. At his shamefaced denial of responsibility. At his patronizing tone."
Hannah Murray at the 'Game of Thrones' season finale premiere on April 12, 2019 in Belfast, UKCredit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Still, that same morning she apologized and "believed everything he told me."
After three weeks, the actress says she was "allowed" to be discharged.
"I was not well when I left the hospital. This is not the story of my recovery — or at least not a simple, straightforward one. I did not enter ill and leave well. I entered extremely psychotic and left somewhat less so," Murray said.
She added that being committed didn't change her perspective.
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"The reality was that I was still out of my mind. All my delusions were still intact; the hospitalization had done nothing to shake them. I had walked out of the ward and straight back into the life that had put me in there. I was still zealously devoted to the organization. And Steve was still everything to me," Murray concluded.
A rep for Murray did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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