Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Evan Rachel Wood’s two-part documentary, Phoenix Rising, comes to HBO on Mar. 16. Ahead of the film’s debut, the actress appeared on Good Morning America to explain why “it was time to stop being silent” about the alleged abuse she suffered during her four year relationship with musician Brian Warner, aka Marilyn Manson. “So many survivors live in fear of judgment and retaliation, and mainly live with shame,” the Westworld star remarks in the interview. “And I know, because I experienced it.”
Wood first publicly named Manson as her abuser in February 2021, and Phoenix Rising depicts the difficult steps that led to that decision. Directed by Amy Berg, the film also traces the disturbing history of their relationship, which began in 2006 when she was 18 years old and Manson was 36. Among the claims Wood makes in Phoenix Rising is that she was “essentially raped” by Manson on the set of 2007 music video, “Heart-Shaped Glasses,” after being given absinthe.
