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Andrew Keegan, 45, was one of the most popular teen actors in the 1990s, when he starred in popular films and television series like Camp Nowhere, 10 Things I Hate About You, and 7th Heaven, but he’s up to a lot more these days. The talented star appeared on a new episode of the Pod Meets World podcast, a Boy Meets World viewing podcast hosted by three of the show’s stars, including Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, and reminisced on his breakout days as well as what he did in the years following.
Since stepping away and taking on less acting roles, there have been rumors about Andrew starting a spiritual group, which some called a cult. He was even called a “cult leader” by some critics after a story was done in the media about Full Circle, a Venice, CA community group full of “hippie types” that he was a part of. During his latest interview with Danielle, Rider, and Will, Andrew set the record straight on the rumors about Full Circle as well as what’s happened in his life over the past 20 years.
Find out more below.
What Did Andrew Keegan Do in the 1990s?
Andrew, who is originally from Los Angeles, CA, first became an actor in the early 1990s, with his first credited role being the voice of Wally Babb in the 1993 animated film, The Halloween Tree. He went on to appear in various other films throughout the rest of the decade, including Camp Nowhere in 1994, Independence Day in 1996, and 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999.
He also took on roles in television series, including Baywatch, Thunder Alley, Full House, Step By Step, Boy Meets World, Party of Five, and 7th Heaven. His face quickly became a regular part of teen magazines and he was considered a heartthrob among other hunky teen actors like Rider and Will as well as Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jonathan Brandis, Devon Sawa, and more.
When Did Andrew Keegan Start Full Circle & What is It?
Andrew started Full Circle in 2014, after he moved to Venice Beach in his early 20s, and “got immersed in the culture and the community.” On Pod Meets World, he explained that there was this “interesting group of hippie types, if you will, in Venice” and “on the Westside, there’s definitely a lot of spirituality,” so he “connected with some folks and we had this opportunity.”
“This old Hare Krishna Temple, it was sitting there empty and we were like, ‘Why don’t we get some people together, and let’s open this place up?’” he remembered.
The group had previously partaken in Occupy Wall Street and wanted to “do some positive things for the community” with the group. “Looking back, it was insane. I was putting down 10s of thousands of dollars, but we opened it up and spent three years and really did build an amazing friend group,” he explained. “We went through something really significant from 2014 to 2017.”
How Did Andrew Keegan’s Cult Rumors Begin?
Rumors of a “cult” began after a Vice reporter visited Full Circle and wrote a story about it in 2014. It was titled “One of the Stars of ’10 Things I Hate About You’ Started a Religion,”and the details of the article had people raising eyebrow. In the story, the journalists wrote that they were greeted by a man named Third Eye, who was part of the “inner circle” of “enlightened” members. The members told them that Andrew is the leader who has the “ultimate say on all things.”
“I probably should have had a little bit more media training at the time,” Andrew said about the story on the podcast. “They just really created a very interesting, colorful story and put it together… we really just got together and did a Sunday thing. We did almost 1,000 events in three years and it was actually really hard. It was really beneficial to a lot of people, I still hear about it now, where people are like, ‘That was such a great time.’”
He went on to say that Full Circle was “the opposite of what you would imagine” from reading the article. “There was no doctrine. We were just getting people together,” he said. “‘The Co-Creator’s Handbook’ was the handbook we used… For all intents and purposes, it was a really cool community center for a bunch of people in Venice for a few years.”
Danielle added that Full Circle “sounds like a group of people at Burning Man more than a group of people at Heaven’s Gate,” referencing the ’70s cult led by Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite. “But ‘cult leader’ kind of leans unto the Heaven’s Gate,” Andrew responded. “Maybe we should have come up with a different name. I thought Full Circle was pretty good, you know, what goes around comes around. I don’t know. It wasn’t something with such a specific agenda at the time.”
“It just evolved from a group of people,” he added. “We had thousands of people come through over the years and just a ton of events and dinner parties. There was actually a podcast I heard recently where they were talking about it and trying to figure it out. At the end, they kind of landed on, it seems like a cool place to hang out — and that’s what it was.”
Andrew Keegan Sued a Magazine for Defamation
Andrew revealed that he once sued Examiner and its parent company Anschutz Entertainment for defamation in September 2015, after a story claimed he was arrested for selling alcoholic kombucha without a permit. He said he wasn’t with Full Circle at the time and the case was later dismissed.
“I think at this point we all know, you can’t really believe what you read,” he said. “Anybody can call anybody anything. I actually did end up filing a defamation lawsuit against AEG and Newsmax for one of the things that happened there. They have an ability to basically say whatever they want. Put up a fight and it ends up costing you money and legal fees. Of course, this recent case of defamation worked out for someone.”
What is Andrew Keegan’s Career Like Now?
Now that Full Circle ended, Andrew has remained focused on his acting career. He has regularly appeared in various films and television series. Some of the most recent include Living Among Us, Adverse, and Trinkets. He is also currently filming the upcoming films, High Tide and The Activated Man. He also served as the officiant of his cousin’s recent wedding.
Is Andrew Keegan Married or Have Kids?
As for his personal life, Andrew is now the father of one child, a daughter Aiya, who was born in March 2016. He shares her with girlfriend Arista Ilona, whom he’s been with since 2013.
This story originally appeared on Hollywood Life
