The character played by Wood in Westworld has been raped multiple times.
Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood, in an emotional letter posted on Twitter revealed that she had been raped twice in her life. The letter posted on Monday says that she is still fighting with the aftermath of the gruesome incidents.
“The trauma of a few minutes can turn into a lifetime of fighting for yourself,” she wrote. “It’s not that you can’t get over it, it’s just that you are never the same, or maybe I just haven’t gotten there yet.”
The 29-year-old actress decided to open up after an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this month as she didn’t want to “stay silent any longer.”
“I don’t believe we live in a time where people can stay silent any longer,” said Wood. “Not given the state our world is in with its blatant bigotry and sexism. It should be talked about because its swept under the rug as nothing and I will not accept this as ‘normal.’ It’s a serious problem.”
The letter that was sent to Alex Morris, the Rolling Stone writer who published the interview, was later posted on Twitter by Woods to add some details about the “physical, psychological, sexual” abuse she suffered in her life as said in the interview.
Referring to the question asked by Morris about being sexually assaulted, Wood wrote, “to answer your blunt question bluntly, yes. I have been raped.” “By a significant other while we were together, and on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar. The first time I was unsure that if it was done by a partner it was still, in fact, rape, until too late. Also, who would believe me? And the second time, I thought it was my fault and that I should have fought back more, but I was scared. This was many many years ago and I, of course, know now neither one was my fault and neither one was OK. This was all before I tried to commit suicide and I am sure was one of the many factors.”
In the interview, Wood had opined that her bisexual identity may have some connection with physical or sexual victimization. Bisexual women are at high risk of depression and anxiety, suicidal ideation and action, and intimate partner abuse. She came out as bisexual in 2011.
However, she reminded the victims of rape that it may take a long time to heal the trauma suffered. “I am still standing. I am alive. I am happy. I am strong. But I am still not ok. I think it’s important for people to know that, for survivors to own that, and that the pressure to just get over it already, should be lifted,” she wrote.
In Westworld, Dolores, the character played by Wood, has been raped multiple times in the ongoing series.