Evan Rachel Wood Claims Marilyn Manson ‘Essentially Raped’ Her on Music Video Set
Actress Evan Rachel Wood, a former fiancée of the rock singer Marilyn Manson, alleges she was "essentially raped on camera" by the musician during the filming of his 2007 music video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses."
Wood makes the claim in a new documentary based on her activism, Phoenix Rising, according to NME. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Sunday (Jan. 23).
Last year, several women accused Manson of sexual and other types of abuse, sparked by an initial allegation from Wood. The musician is now facing lawsuits related to the horrific accusations and is currently being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff.
Content warning: The following contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.
In 2007, Wood and Manson were dating, and she agreed to appear in his video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)" from the singer's Eat Me, Drink Me album. However, in Phoenix Rising, she says she was sexually assaulted on set.
The "Heart-Shaped Glasses" video begins with an introductory scene that shows Wood and Manson kissing and having what was thought to be simulated sex.
"We had discussed a simulated sex scene," Wood explains of the shoot, "but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that. I’m a professional actress, I have been doing this my whole life. I’d never been on a set that unprofessional in my life up until this day. It was complete chaos, and I did not feel safe. No one was looking after me."
She continues, "It was a really traumatizing experience filming the video. 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."
Wood adds, "I felt disgusting and like I had done something shameful, and I could tell that the crew was very uncomfortable and nobody knew what to do. 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."
In February 2021, Wood claimed in a statement that Manson "started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years." At least four other women revealed their accusations against him simultaneously. Actress Esmé Bianco eventually joined them.
Manson first replied that the allegations were "horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how … others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth."
In July, a lawyer for Manson claimed Bianco and others were co-conspirators "trying to conflate the imagery and artistry of Warner's 'shock rock' stage persona … with fabricated accounts of abuse." The musician's legal team has continued to deny the allegations.
Manson has mostly kept a low profile since the accusations surfaced, apart from a handful of appearances with Kanye West, some leading to speculation that Manson might have turned to Christianity.
See a timeline of the Marilyn Manson allegations below.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, resources are available to help. Please visit RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) online or dial 800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673).