"Westworld" actress Evan Rachel Wood has opened up about some traumatic encounters from her past. The 29-year-old actress revealed that she was sexually assaulted twice and is hopeful that rape victims speak up instead of staying silent.
During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the actress made the shocking revelation that she has been physically, psychologically and sexually abused in the past. Although she did not share any further details in the interview, she talked about the incident in a separate email she sent the magazine a day after the U.S. presidential election.
"Yes, I've been raped, by a significant other while we were together," she wrote in the email. "And on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar.
She said that at the time of her first encounter, she was unsure about whether or not it was counted as rape as it was done by a partner and by the time she realized it, it was too late. Wood added that after the second time, she blamed herself for not fighting back because she was scared.
Wood was in a relationship with rocker Marilyn Manson. The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship for four years before getting engaged in 2010, according to US Weekly. The pair split up months after the engagement. The actress was also married to Jamie Bell, with whom she shared a 3-year-old son.
In her email, Wood also noted that her past still haunts her and she was reluctant to go public about her ordeal in order to avoid being the subject of a sob story. However, she now believes that rape victims should speak out rather than burdening themselves in silence, because of the current state of the bigotry and sexism-filled world.
"I am alive. I am happy. I am strong. But I am still not ok," she continued. "It's important for survivors to own that, and that the pressure to just get over it already, should be lifted.
For more details on Wood's shocking revelation, watch the video below: