The Little Girl With a Controversial Childhood Who Became a Hollywood Legend

removed from ordinary childhood life.

Born in Florence, Italy, in 1973, McGowan was raised within the Children of God, a controversial religious sect that promoted communal living, strict obedience, and unconventional ideas about relationships.

Her father, an Irish-born artist, operated an Italian branch of the group. Her mother, Terri, was an American-born continue reading …