Entertainment
Evan Rachel Wood to explore experiences surviving domestic violence in new ‘intimate’ documentary
The doc will premiere later this month (Picture Empire Images)
Evan Rachel Wood will document being a survivor of domestic violence in her new documentary, Phoenix Rising.
Directed by Oscar-nominee Amy Berg, the two-parter is set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival on January 23.
The upcoming film will follow the 34-year-old actress ‘as she moves towards naming her famous abuser for the first time.’
The project has been two years in the making and will also chronicle other aspects of the star’s life and career.
The title is seemingly named after the Phoenix Act, which lengthens the statute of limitations for victims of domestic violence.
In 2019, the bill passed in California with the help of Wood.
The actress has been working on the project for two years now (Picture: Invision)
Wood’s documentary will air on HBO ‘in the coming months,’ according to Variety.
The publication also report that filmmaker Berg said that Wood — whom she’d known for years through friends — approached her in 2019 about making the film.
At the time, Berg felt that she wasn’t ready to take it on herself, but did assist Wood in filming her campaign in California.
Once the pandemic hit, Berg changed her mind since the industry seemed to shut down, and she decided to helm the project.
Speaking of the origins of the project, the director said ‘it wasn’t about Marilyn Manson, and his whole world, this was about an Erin Brockovich story.’
Wood came forward with her allegations against Manson last year (Picture: WireImage)
She said the team were ‘really focused on telling a story about empowerment, something that would offer resources for women and men who are stuck in abusive situations.’
The documentary is described as ‘a really intimate portrait’ of the actress.
The Westworld star accused Marilyn Manson, her ex-fiancé, of abuse in February last year, claiming he had been ‘brainwashing’ and ‘manipulating her into submission.’
The actress accused Manson – whose real name is Brian Warner – of ‘grooming’ her when she was a teenager and alleged he ‘horrifically abused’ her throughout their relationship.
In an Instagram post, she explained: ‘The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.’
She continued: ‘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.’
The documentary is said to be an ‘intimate portrait’ of Wood’s life (Picture: Invision)
Back in 2016, Wood revealed she was branded a ‘whore’ when she started dating the 53-year-old rocker.
Revealing she bore the brunt of criticism after he split from wife Dita Von Teese, with many blaming her for the breakdown of their two-year marriage, she recalled: ‘Most teenagers are searching for identity, and I was thrown into a situation where I was supposed to have that already figured out.
‘Then you’re demonised for figuring it out and getting messy. People would call me a whore when I walked down the street, and you can’t not be hurt by that.’
At the time, Evan said she was attracted to Manson because of the ‘danger and excitement’ he brought into her life, and she wanted to go on a ‘crazy journey’ to find herself.
She added how she ‘met somebody that promised freedom and expression and no judgements’ and she was ‘craving danger and excitement.’
Recalling a conversation with her mother, she added: ‘I looked at my mother one day and said, “Mom, I’m gonna get on this tour bus for eight months and see the world and have a crazy journey and find myself, and if people aren’t OK with that, I’m sorry, but I can’t live my life for other people.”‘
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Manson has always denied Evan’s claims that he was abusive to her.
A number of women have accused the singer of sexual and physical assault, with three of them suing him while one rape lawsuit was dismissed in September.
Game of Thrones star Esme Bianco has also publicly come forward with
allegations against Manson.
Manson and his attorney deny all further allegations.
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