- Next story is a serious one.
Please be cautious about young viewers,
it is not suitable for them.
It also might be triggering
for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault,
but it is a very important story to share.
And thank you to actress Evan Rachel Wood,
who is speaking about her allegations of abuse
against former fiance, Marilyn Manson.
And for the first time
in her new documentary, "Phoenix Rising,"
Evan opens up about the shocking details.
Please look at her story.
Actress and model Evan Rachel Wood
has made a name for herself
as a rising star in Hollywood since childhood.
At 14, she was cast in the teen movie "Thirteen,"
a breakout role that launched her into the media spotlight.
And years later, it caught the attention
of rockstar Marilyn Manson.
In 2006, at just 18,
Evan met the then 37-year-old Manson.
For four year, the pair made headlines
for their on- and off-again romance.
They were briefly engaged
before finally calling it quits in 2010.
Speculation intensified about their relationship in 2016
when Evan began to speak out
on behalf of survivors of sexual assault.
In 2018, she testified in front of Congress
that a former partner gaslit, brainwashed,
and even raped her while unconscious.
- My abuser was very sadistic and calculated
and would threaten me, blackmail me.
- But it wasn't until February 1st, 2021,
that Evan named Marilyn Manson as her abuser
for the first time.
In her new documentary, "Phoenix Rising,"
Evan alleges that she was threatened,
raped, drugged, and tortured
at the hands of her former fiance.
Evan is not alone.
More than a dozen women have also come forward
with their own stories of alleged abuse by Manson,
and several women have filed lawsuits against him.
Manson has denied all the allegations of abuse against him
and insists that all of his relationships were consensual.
He recently filed his own lawsuit
against Evan and another woman,
accusing them of conspiracy,
infliction of emotional distress, and defamation.
Evan has said that she will no longer be silenced
by fear of retaliation
and is sharing her story to stand with all survivors
and show they are not alone.
Welcome to the show. (Evan chuckles)
- Thank you for having me.
- You have been out there sort of
promoting this documentary. (Evan exhales)
- Yes.
- So there's so much that comes out in the documentary
about your relationship with Marilyn Manson, Brian Warner.
And there's so many wonderful things about our business.
You're still doing it,
I'm still doing it. - Absolutely.
- But there is a submissive mind game,
performing, people-pleasing,
no boundaries oddity of
you do what you're told.
So growing up that way,
what was that like for you,
set the stage,
because it feels like
is that such an odd catalyst
for what happened with you and Marilyn?
- Absolutely.
And that's why it was important for me
to tell that side of the story,
because otherwise we're just treating the symptoms
and not the root.
And that's why it goes into my background,
it also goes into Brian's background
to understand how we got here,
and you know, what was the polarity
that created this lightning?
And, I mean, you really hit the nail on the head.
I think it was Iyanla Vanzant who said this once,
(chuckles) and I'm obsessed with her
and the work she does with family,
but she was speaking to somebody and she said,
"You grew up, you weren't raised."
And that hit me in such a deep place
because I realized that I had to grow up so quickly
and I was being rewarded
and taught sort of all the wrong lessons for a young woman,
which was the less boundaries I had,
the more love I would receive,
the more successful I would be,
the more I would be taken seriously,
if I said no, I was being difficult.
- Yes. - If I was obedient,
I was being good.
- Yes! - And these things,
and that's a very dangerous environment to be raised in
because then you end up a young adult,
a child in a woman's body essentially,
and you're such easy prey.
And I was 18 when I met Brian,
and legally I'm an adult,
but I have lived no life as an adult.
(bright music)
♪ Oh, oh ♪