Evan Rachel Wood Responds to Defamation Lawsuit
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Evan Rachel Wood Responds to Defamation Lawsuit

A little over a week after Marilyn Manson filed a lawsuit claiming ex-Evan Rachel Wood and “on-again, off-again romantic partner” Illma Gore conspired together on an elaborate and bizarre fraud scheme in an effort to defame and derail the shock rocker's career, the Westworld actor is responding to the allegations.

Appearing on the The View ahead of the release of her new autobiographical docu-series on HBO, Wood told the hosts, “I can’t obviously speak about any of the specific allegations of the lawsuit, but I’m not scared." She went on to add, “I am sad, because this is how it works. This is what pretty much every survivor that tries to expose someone in a position of power goes though, and this is part of the retaliation that keeps survivors quiet. This is why people don’t want to come forward. This was expected.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in LA earlier this month, claims Wood and Gore orchestrated a multi-faceted plot that involved impersonating FBI agents, sending out questionnaires and scripts to potential Manson accusers as well as setting up a non-profit charity for abused women as part of a larger money-making effort. Wood named ex-fiancée Manson as her abuser in February of 2021, which in turn resulted in other members of the musician's inner circle (including Sarah McNeilly, Ashley Walters, Ashley Lindsay Morgan and a visual artist called Gabrielle) all coming out with similar experiences, citing trauma and PTSD after their time with him.

“I am very confident that I have the truth on my side and that the truth will come out,” Wood said. “This is clearly timed before the documentary ... I’m not doing this to clear my name. I’m doing this to protect people. I’m doing this to sound the alarm that there is a dangerous person out there and I don’t want anybody getting near him. So people can think whatever they want about me. I have to let the legal process run its course, and I’m steady as a rock.”

Wood's documentary series, Phoenix Rising, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance Festival, is set to arrive March 15 on HBO. In the series, which follows Wood's journey seeking justice for the abuse she experience at the hands of Manson, the actor also reveals that she was "essentially raped" on set of music video for the 2007 single "Heart-Shaped Glasses."

Watch Evan Rachel Wood's full interview on The View below.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault and need help, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org.

Photo via Getty/ Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic