Evan Rachel Wood alleges Marilyn Manson ‘essentially raped’ her during music video shoot
Evan Rachel Wood is getting more specific in her sexual-abuse allegations against ex-fiance Marilyn Manson. In a new documentary, she says the singer “essentially raped†her during the filming of Manson’s 2007 “Heart-Shaped Glasses†music video.
“We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real,†Wood says in part one of director Amy Berg’s “Phoenix Rising,†which premiered Sunday at the virtual Sundance Film Festival. “I had never agreed to that.â€
The 34-year-old Wood, who has been acting since before she was 10, said she had never been on a set that unprofessional or chaotic in her life and didn’t feel safe. She said she didn’t know how to advocate for herself or how to say no, because she had been “conditioned and trained to never talk back — to just soldier through.â€
After filming the alleged sexual act, Wood said she felt “disgusting†and like she’d done something “shameful.†The crew was uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do, she said.
Court records reviewed by The Times and nearly two dozen interviews portray Manson as a transgressive artist who mistreated and isolated women.
“I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses,†Wood said. “That’s when the first crime was committed against me and I was essentially raped on camera.â€
Howard King, attorney for Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner), dismissed Wood’s allegations Monday afternoon in a statement to The Times.
“Of all the false claims that Evan Rachel Wood has made about Brian Warner, her imaginative retelling of the making of the ‘Heart-Shaped Glasses’ music video 15 years ago is the most brazen and easiest to disprove, because there were multiple witnesses,†he said. “Evan was not only fully coherent and engaged during the three-day shoot but also heavily involved in weeks of pre-production planning and days of post-production editing of the final cut.
“The simulated sex scene took several hours to shoot with multiple takes using different angles and several long breaks in between camera setups,†King continued. “Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth.â€
Evan Rachel Wood says Marilyn Manson is a ‘dangerous man’ who abused her and others. Two models and an artist also spoke out, and his record label dropped him.
The “Westworld†actor was in a relationship with the singer that went public in January 2007. She was 19 when they began dating and he was 37. They were briefly engaged in 2010 before splitting up that August.
In February 2021, Wood identified Warner as the alleged abuser she’d referenced anonymously in the past.
“He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail,†she wrote on Instagram.
She continued, “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.â€
In February 2021, when the allegations first picked up steam, Warner posted a denial of his own on Instagram.
Authorities searched the home of shock rocker Marilyn Manson on Monday after allegations of physical and sexual abuse by several women.
“Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,†he wrote. “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.â€
In May 2021, Warner was hit with two lawsuits from women alleging sexual misconduct.
While the Sundance screening was a work in progress of the first part of the two-part “Phoenix Rising†film, the complete work will be released in March on HBO and HBO Max.
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