Evan Rachel Wood speaks about being 'publicly gaslit' following her sexual abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson

Washington [US], April 8 : Hollywood actor Evan Rachel Wood has opened up about her experience of being "publicly gaslit", following her abuse allegations against American singer-songwriter Marilyn Manson.
According to Variety, during the latest episode of 'I Weigh' podcast by Jameela Jamil, Wood delved into the "re-traumatizing" but necessary process of being involved in a sexual abuse investigation.
She said, "After being involved in a large investigation like the one I'm involved in now, I really started to understand why people pull out of investigations and why victims recount their statements and why they go forward and then pull back."
"Because man, it's no joke having to go through the things that have happened to you in excruciating detail. Questions you've never been asked. And to have to go back there over and over again, to be publicly gaslit on a large scale or even a small scale, it's very, very re-traumatizing," continued Wood.
"I sit here knowing I'm not lying, knowing I'm telling the truth, but people make you feel crazy," Wood further stated and added, "So I have to sit there and meditate and go through the things that have happened to me and go, 'Did this happen to you? Yes. Did this happen? Yes.' And I go through the details and replay them in my head just so no one can take my truth away from me, because they try, they really try to break you down."
Wood and Manson had been in a public relationship from 2006 to 2010 and he was alleged by Wood as her abuser in February 2021. Following that, an investigation was announced on Manson for domestic violence by the Los Angeles Police Department.
All allegations of sexual assault and abuse have completely been denied by Manson and in March he filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood and her partner Ilma Gore, claiming they have "publicly cast" him as a "rapist and abuse, a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner's successful music, TV and film career."
As per Variety, during the podcast, the actor also spoke about how it felt to finally be out of that relationship.
"I was so happy to be out that I just shoved it all down and wanted to forget that it even happened because the last thing you want to do when you're finally out of a nightmare is to sit there and study it and relive it for years. I was like, I just want to go hang out with my friends, I want to go to Disneyland, I want to dance, I want joy again," Wood said.
Wood said she initially didn't intend to come forward with her allegations, but her next relationship made her realize that she had to say something for the sake of her own mental and physical health and to truly move forward.
The actor has previously reflected on her sexual abuse allegations against Manson and met survivors who also spoke out against the musician in a documentary on HBO, 'Rising Phoenix'.
Among several instances, she said was one when she was "essentially raped on-camera" while filming the 2007 music video for Manson's 'Heart-Shaped Glasses', the video of which featured Wood having sex with Manson.