Within the first half of the documentary ‘Phoenix Rising,’ the ‘Westworld’ star particulars the depths of the alleged home violence she endured whereas with the rock star in her late teenagers and 20s.
It’s been practically 15 years since an 18-year-old Evan Rachel Wooden met 36-year-old Marilyn Manson at a Hollywood celebration, however for the primary time, the actress identified for her roles in True Blood and Westworld has come ahead to inform her story about their relationship and the abuses she claims she endured throughout it.
The 2-part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising, which initially premiered on the Sundance Movie Competition, follows Evan as she takes her first steps in processing her journey as a survivor of home violence and assist different girls do the identical. For years as an activist, Evan spoke of her abuse, however by no means formally named her “abuser”. On February 1, 2021, that each one modified when she accused her ex-fiancé Manson of horrible acts of violence, and within the documentary, she goes into a lot larger element.
One of many greatest shockers got here nearly instantly, when Evan revealed she branded herself together with his preliminary to show her loyalty to him. “He carved an E [into his skin] and I carved an M,” she defined, “… as a solution to present possession and loyalty. And I carved it proper subsequent to my vagina to point out him that I belonged to him.” She shared photos of the crudely carved letter on her pores and skin, and later admits that she needs she may have the “scar eliminated.” However that’s not doable.
The explanation? Since Evan has come ahead, at the very least 15 different girls have additionally alleged that the controversial rock star abused them as nicely, together with Sport of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco. Rachel explains that although the statute of limitations has run out for her to do something, her story may assist one other one in every of these girls stand as much as Manson in court docket, and her “scar” is a part of that. However naming him formally was not a straightforward factor for Evan to do.
“I’m nonetheless terrified to call Brian publicly,” she mentioned of Manson, whose actual title is Brian Warner, within the documentary. “I've obtained quite a lot of threatening messages [from Manson supporters] saying to close my mouth, folks know the place I reside. Brian made it clear that if I ever mentioned something, he would come after me. He as soon as informed me he would fuck up my entire household, from the underside up, and he would begin with my dad.”
Evan and Manson had been collectively on-and-off from mid-2006 by means of 2011, when Evan says she made her “last” escape. Regardless of being engaged to be married at one level, Evan remembers the connection being “violent,” beginning very early on. She recounts the filming of his music video, “Coronary heart Formed Glasses” in 2007, and she or he shockingly alleges that Manson raped her throughout the movie shoot.
“We had mentioned a simulated intercourse scene,” Evan mentioned. “However as soon as the cameras had been rolling, he began penetrating me for actual. I had by no means agreed to that … It was full chaos and I didn't really feel protected — nobody was taking care of me … I felt disgusting and like I had achieved one thing shameful, and I may inform that the crew was very uncomfortable and no one knew what to do. I used to be coerced right into a business intercourse act below false pretenses. That’s when the primary crime was dedicated towards me — and I used to be primarily raped on digital camera.” She provides that in interviews after the discharge of the video the place she referred to as it “romantic,” she was solely attempting to avoid wasting herself from making Manson “upset” again then.
Shortly earlier than the documentary premiered on HBO, Marilyn Manson filed a defamation lawsuit towards Evan over her rape and abuse allegations. Within the paperwork, obtained by HollywoodLife on March 2nd, the singer accuses Evan and her activist affiliate Ashley “Illma” Gore, who additionally seems within the documentary, of getting “secretly recruited, coordinated, and pressured potential accusers.” Moreover, when filmmakers reached out to Manson for touch upon the documentary, he denied all of Evan’s accusations.
“Mr. Warner vehemently denies any and all claims of sexual assault or abuse of anybody,” his lawyer mentioned in a press release. “These lurid claims towards my shopper have three issues in frequent: they're all false, alleged to have taken place greater than a decade in the past and a part of a coordinated assault by former companions and associates of Mr. Warner who've weaponized the in any other case mundane particulars of his private life and their consensual relationships into fabricated horror tales.”
Although half one focuses totally on the darkish particulars of their relationship, the movie, directed by the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg, additionally covers Evan’s fervent activism since coming to phrases along with her abuse. She was instrumental in creating the 2019 Phoenix Act, a invoice that prolonged the statute of limitations for home violence from three years to 5 in California.