Evan Rachel Wood is continuing to share disturbing details of her relationship with ex-fiancé Marilyn Manson in her HBO documentary, Phoenix Rising.
The actress, 34, reflects on her harrowing journey in part two of the film, which is set to air on March 15. According to the New York Post, Wood outlines the aftermath of an abortion she got while working on Mildred Pierce in 2011.
“From the beginning of our relationship, [Manson] always had an issue with whatever birth control I was using — and I went through, like, every type to see which one he liked, and he didn’t like any of them, so essentially he didn’t want me using birth control,” the Emmy nominee, who has publicly accused the 53-year-old musician of abuse in the past, says in the doc.
Wood claims that Manson refused to wear condoms during sex, and despite her attempt to use other methods, she got pregnant. The Westworld star chose to terminate the pregnancy.
“He flew out for the abortion,” she alleges. “The second it was over it was like, ‘Make me dinner.’ And I remember being like, ‘I’m supposed to be resting — my body has gone through this trauma … there’s aftermath here.’ And he didn’t care.”
Following her procedure, Wood struggled with her mental health. Though she doesn’t specify exactly when, she reveals that she attempted suicide after the abortion using a glass that she “shattered” on the floor of the bathroom. The incident triggered the Frozen II actress to make a change.
“When I woke up, I felt different. I feel like whoever I was went to sleep and didn’t wake up that night, and this new version woke up and had to start rebuilding her life,” she continues. “I called my mom and I said, ‘I just tried to kill myself, and I need to go to a hospital, like, immediately.'”
Part one of Phoenix Rising premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, during which the three-time Golden Globe nominee opened up about the allegedly “traumatizing experience” of working with Manson on the music video for “Heart-Shaped Glasses.” The racy video debuted in 2007, when Wood was only 19 years old.
“I didn’t know how to advocate for myself or know how to say no because I had been conditioned and trained to never talk back, to just soldier through,” the North Carolina native said. “I felt disgusting and like I had done something shameful. … I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses. That’s when the first crime was committed against me, and I was essentially raped on camera.”
An attorney for Manson denied the allegations at the time, telling Us Weekly in a statement that there were “multiple witnesses” on set. “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. Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth,” the lawyer argued.
Wood split from the songwriter in 2010, and she first came forward with accusations of assault in February 2021. In the wake of her allegations, several more women claimed that they had also been victims of Manson’s abuse. He was subsequently dropped by his record label but denied any wrongdoing, stating via Instagram in February 2021 that his “intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.”
Earlier this month, TMZ reported that the Sons of Anarchy alum sued Wood for fraud, conspiracy and defamation. Regarding the latest of Wood’s claims, attorney Howard King alleged in a statement to Us: “As we detailed in our lawsuit, nothing that Evan Rachel Wood, Illma Gore or their hand-picked coconspirators have said on this matter can be trusted. This is just more of the same. But, then again, what else would you expect from a group who have spread falsehood after falsehood about Brian and even went as far as to forge an FBI letter to further their phony claims?”
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
