(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Will Gluck, director of Friends with Benefits, regrets making a joke about Scientology in his new film as one of its stars is a member of the religion.

The director is following up his acclaimed high school comedy Easy A with Friends with Benefits, which focuses on two pals, played by Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who try to combine a physical relationship with just being friends. However, he was mortified when attending a screening of the new comedy after realising he hadn't told castmember Jenna Elfman that he had kept a risqu joke about the controversial religion in the final cut.

"It was a mistake. I write so much stuff on the fly I just said, 'Justin, say this', and I forgot. I forgot. And then I forgot to tell Jenna. At the screening, I was embarrassed, and I said, 'F**k, I forgot to tell Jenna.' It was awkward. I felt bad," Will told Hollywood.com.

Jenna Elfman, best known for her starring role in TV hit Dharma & Greg, went public about her leanings towards Scientology in 2005. Hollywood A-list stars like Tom Cruise and John Travolta also follow it.

Jenna plays Justin's mother in the movie, and Will insists that having a talented supporting cast is integral to his pictures.

"I don't like having characters as props," he explained. "I never want a character to be a prop. To me, all the supporting characters are reflections of the main characters. Everyone else has to have their own journey. Everyone. These secondary characters all have their own thing going on."

The comedy also stars Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson. (C) Cover Media