Actress Even Rachel Wood has revealed how her own experience of sexual assault informed her latest movie role, which saw her take on the part of an abuser.
Last month, the 30-year-old publicly detailed her story of rape and domestic violence at the hand of two abusers before the House Judiciary Committee.
Sitting alongside advocates from the anti-sexual violence organization RISE and the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN), Wood bravely stated that ‘if you can’t hear the whole truth, you will never know true empathy.’
Real life: Actress Even Rachel Wood has revealed how her own experience of sexual assault informed her latest role in the movie Allure
Speaking out: Last month, the 30-year-old publicly detailed her story of rape and domestic violence at the hand of two abusers before the House Judiciary Committee
Abuse: In her new movie Allure, which opens on March 16, Wood takes on the role of Laura, a former victim turned abuser, who seduces and then emotionally abuses a teenage girl
However, in her new movie Allure, which opens on March 16, Wood takes on the role of Laura, a former victim turned abuser, who seduces and then emotionally abuses a teenage girl.
Speaking to Huffington Post about her decision to take the part in the movie, the Westworld star revealed she felt compelled to get involved for ‘glaringly obvious’ reasons.
‘I’m one of these artists where the movies that I choose reflect what I’m thinking about or what I’m going through or what I want to communicate,’ she said.
To get mentally prepared, Wood shared that she made a playlist as music helps her ‘disappear into a world or a vibe’.
She explained: ‘I was really a recluse during this film. I shut myself away. I wanted to be like Laura. I wanted to be alone and left with my own thoughts and my own darkness to explore that.’
Close to home: The Westworld star revealed she felt compelled for ‘glaringly obvious’ reasons as she usually chooses parts that reflect what’s going on in her world
Me too: She’s now hoping to user her platform to shed further light on the issue of abuse, pictured with co-star Julia Sarah Stone who plays the part of Eva
Lucky: While Wood had the resources to get help after he own ordeal, she revealed that in the film her character Laura never had the same opportunity and so follows the pattern of abuse
She also spoke about her own experience and highlighted that she was ‘lucky’ she had the ‘resources and means’ to get help when she needed it.
‘I was at a point in my life that I felt strong enough that I could do this and go there but know that I could get back. It was like I had a little rope tied around me and I could go in deep and be able to pull myself back out. It was difficult but therapeutic, and it did take a second to shake. It was not easy,’ she explained.
‘Eventually you get to a point where you’re like, I have to do this, otherwise the alternative is death,’ she added.
And she’s hopeful using her platform this way will shed further light on the issue.
‘We need help making policies, but we also need artists to come in and put their hats in the ring once in a while because it’s their life work to show the core of humanity and figure out why people do the things they do, and we could bridge that gap more and have the conversation.’