*Content warning – references to sexual abuse*
Phoenix Rising airs on HBO next month.
Evan Rachel Wood has spoken out about the sexual abuse allegations she made against Marilyn Manson in her new documentary Phoenix Rising.
The film follows her as she recounts what happened to her and advocates for the Phoenix Act, a 2019 law that extended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse survivors in California.
In the trailer, Evan can be heard saying: “I’m here today to talk about Brian Warner also known to the world as Marilyn Manson.”
When the laws don’t protect you, change them. #PhoenixRising follows Evan Rachel Wood’s tale of survival and activism. The two part documentary, produced and directed by Amy Berg (@disarmingfilms), premieres March 15 on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/U2YfRGd76t
— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) February 22, 2022
The actress looks at photos of herself “from before” she met Manson – something she finds difficult – and reads an entry from a diary recounting the day they met.
“I made a new friend,” she reads from the page, before making the sound of a bomb exploding.
Later in the trailer, the 34-year-old says: “I became an activist, fighting for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“Not only did people hear our stories but they said, ‘Yeah, we hear you, and something does need to change.’
“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
Also appearing in the trailer is Evan’s mother, Sara Lynn Moore, who claimed Manson “groomed” her daughter after studying “how to manipulate people”.
“He’s a predator,” she says.
Throughout the film, Evan meets with some of the other women who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Manson.
“Numerous women heard my story and they knew exactly who it was,” she says. “I realised that I wasn’t the only one that this had happened to.”
In January, she alleged that Manson “essentially raped” her on camera while filming his Heart-Shaped Glasses music video.
“I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses,” she said. “That’s when the first crime was committed against me.”
In February 2021, Wood first said that Manson had “horrifically abused” her throughout their relationship in the late 2000s. She said that had been “brainwashed” by the singer as a teenager.
“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. 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.”
Manson continues to deny all allegations against him.
Phoenix Rising airs on HBO next month.
