When Evan Rachel Woods first shot HBO’s Westworld in 2014, she hit a realization.
That she can be courageous, as she explains, in the new documentary Narcissist’s Playbook.
In her relationship with her ex-fiancé Marilyn Manson, the actress alleged she had been emotionally and physically abused.
But speaking out, Wood recalls, was hard as she remembers the musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, allegedly saying, “If they’re dumb enough to fall for it, then they deserve it.”
She continues, “To leave and admit that the abuse was happening was to admit that I was stupid. I think I just felt really stupid and really ashamed, so I didn’t want to tell anybody. I didn’t for a really long time.”
But then playing the android Dolores in Westworld proved a turning point for Wood, who said the show helped her to confront her reported trauma.
As her on-screen role, similar to the actress’ real life, suffered abuse.
“I really thought that I was going to go to my grave with everything that happened,” she says in the doc.
“It wasn’t until Westworld came along and I got to be Dolores — that helped me through my trauma and my own waking up.”
In particular, Woods shares the final monologue in season one let out what she wanted to tell her alleged tormenter.
“That final scene, I was given just the most beautiful monologue to say; it was like everything I always wanted to say to anybody that ever hurt me and especially to Brian. And by the end of that first season, I was awake, just like Dolores.”
Manson, on his part, denied the allegations when Woods first revealed it on social media in 2021.
He even sued her for defamation in 2022 but had to drop the lawsuit two years later and was ordered to cough up nearly $327,000 to the actress in her legal fees.
