Evan Rachel Wood revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that she is a rape survivor. On the day after the election, the bisexual actress emailed the magazine to expand on an earlier comment that she has experienced "physical, psychological [and] sexual" abuse in her past. The 29-year-old elaborated on her previous remarks, saying that she has been raped twice, including one time in a relationship. "I've been raped," she wrote. "By a significant other while we were together. And on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar..."
Certain events — namely, the election to the U.S. presidency of a man who has not only been accused of sexual assault by over a dozen women, but openly bragged about grabbing women without consent — spurred Wood's timely decision to open up about being a survivor.
"I don't believe we live in a time where people can stay silent any longer," she wrote in the email to RS. "Not given the state our world is in with its blatant bigotry and sexism." The Westworld actress also told the magazine in a separate conversation, "I was affected by things being written off as locker-room talk — I had a very, very visceral reaction to it." Refinery29 has reached out to Wood's reps for further comment.
If you've been watching Wood on HBO's Westworld — which you really, truly should be, by the way — then you might be wondering how she handles starring in a series that frequently depicts sexual violence. (Her character Dolores is physically abused by men and presumably raped off camera.) "The thing about Westworld is we don't actually show any act of rape," explained Wood, though she calls negative reactions to the content "valid." And she of all people would understand.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the Survivors Trust on 0808 801 0818
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