River’s parents were missionaries for the cult Children of God. The cult later became infamous for its seedy practices, and its abuse of children. The family left the cult while River was still young.

“The Children of God was a Christian [pleasure] cult. They believed that [sleeping with someone] was a sacrament, and that sort of everyone should be engaged in it. And this, you know, extended to sort of partner swapping, and it also extended to encouraging children to, you know, engage with each other,” Gavin Edwards said, author of Last Night at the Viper Room. Edwards went on to say that children were encouraged to play with their parents and stimulate each other.

The actor himself said that he first “made love” when he was 4 years old, in an interview with Details magazine. “But, I’ve blocked it out,” he added. “I was completely celibate from 10 to 14.”