Lena Dunham met with several recognizable names while casting Girls — but Allison Mack stood out among the rest.
“I recognized a woman named Allison Mack from Smallville; she wasn’t right for any of the roles but invited me via email to her ‘intimate women’s group’ every week for the next year (there but for the grace of God go I),” Dunham, 39, wrote in her memoir Famesick, published on Tuesday, April 14.
Dunham appeared to be referring to DOS, which was championed as a women’s empowerment subgroup of the sex cult NXIVM, led by Keith Raniere. Mack, 43, recruited members for the now-incarcerated Raniere before her own stint in prison.
In April 2018, Mack was arrested for her connection to NXIVM after being accused of recruiting women into the organization along with identity fraud and money laundering. She pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and received a three-year prison sentence in June 2021. Mack was released in July 2023 after spending 21 months behind bars and has since been candid about her experience in NXIVM.
Late last year, Mack recalled the “pretty extreme” conditions she faced during her time in the cult. The actress recalled committing to stay between 105 and 107 pounds while under the guidance of Raniere.
“I would write down everything I was going to do and at what time I was going to do it and then how it related to a character trait that I was trying to build in myself,” she explained during the “Allison Mack After NXVIM” podcast, released in November 2025. “Every single thing that I did was related to some purpose of my character building.”
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Mack was “significantly underweight” due to being on a 500 calorie a day diet.
“I was running 6 miles a day. I was really into half marathons, so I was running at least 6 miles on 500 calories,” Mack recalled. “I was very into yoga, so I was doing yoga. I did yoga every morning for about six years.”
Mack further remembered that she fasted all day on Mondays.
“I would stop eating at 5 p.m. on Sunday, and then I wouldn’t eat again until 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning,” the Smallville alum said during the same podcast. “I always had these huge scarves, because I was always, always cold. I was so thin that I could touch my fingers together around my waist. I mean, I was anorexic.”
Mack has also revealed that she only heard from Raniere once since his arrest.
“He wrote a letter to all of us that were on trial, like, right before the trial,” she said during a November 2025 episode of the “Inside of You” podcast. “But I did not read it.”
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.
