‘Phoenix Rising’ Trailer: Evan Rachel Wood Details Marilyn Manson Abuse Allegations in HBO Doc
Samantha Bergeson
Evan Rachel Wood has a message for audiences: “I’m here today to talk about Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” the actress-turned-activist says in the trailer for two-part HBO documentary “Phoenix Rising,” directed by Amy Berg.
The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and, per an official HBO synopsis, the documentary captures Wood’s “experience as a survivor of domestic violence to pursue justice, heal generational wounds and reclaim her story” after escaping a dangerous, almost decade-long relationship.
Wood co-authored and successfully lobbied for passage of The Phoenix Act, state legislation that extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence cases in California.
The trailer includes Wood’s friends and family, including mother Sara Lynn Moore, who alleged that Wood’s former partner Marilyn Manson “groomed her” and was a “predator.”
Wood revealed that she was “essentially raped on camera” while filming Manson’s 2007 music video for “Heart-Shaped Glasses.” Wood was 19 years old at the time, and alleged that she was given absinthe on set to the point that she was barely conscious; the video features Manson and Wood having sex while fake blood is poured over them. Manson has denied the allegation.
“It’s nothing like I thought it was going to be,” Wood says in the trailer. “We’re doing things that were not what was pitched to me. We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that…It was complete chaos. I did not feel safe. No one was looking after me.”
Wood’s mission is now to look after other women and fellow survivors: “I realized I was not the only woman this happened to,” Wood said. “We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
As IndieWire’s Kristen Lopez wrote in her review of the documentary, “Wood’s courage shines through, and by focusing on Manson’s alleged abuse, there’s a compelling exploration taking place about power dynamics and relationships in Hollywood.”
HBO will premiere “Phoenix Rising” on back-to-back nights starting March 15 with Part 1, “Phoenix Rising: Don’t Fall.” Part 2, “Phoenix Rising: Stand Up,” debuts March 16.
Both episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning March 15.
