Who Is Esmé Bianco and How Does She Know Marilyn Manson?
Ever since actor Evan Rachel Wood came forward claiming Marilyn Manson “horrifically abused” her during their three-year relationship in the late noughties, several other women have made allegations of abuse against the famous singer. One of the women happens to be actor Esmé Bianco, who recently claimed Manson physically and psychologically abused her while they dated back in 2011.
So, who exactly is Bianco, and how does she know the goth rock star? Here’s what we know.
Esmé Bianco is an actor best known for her role in ‘Game of Thrones’
For those of you who don’t know, Bianco is an English actor, model, voice actor, neo-burlesque performer, and DJ. Though she’s appeared in several films and television shows throughout her 15-year acting career, Bianco is best known for her role in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.
On the show, the actor played Ros, a prostitute in King’s Landing who becomes an ally to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) while simultaneously capturing the heart of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen).
Ros emerged as an unlikely fan favorite in the first few seasons of the HBO series before her gruesome death in Season 3.
Esmé Bianco says she was a victim of Marilyn Manson’s abuse
Like several women in the entertainment industry, Bianco recently got herself involved in the current chaos surrounding Marilyn Manson.
In a new interview with The Cut, the actor claimed Manson abused her while they were in a relationship about a decade ago.
Bianco first met the singer, whose music she was a big fan of, back in 2009 when she was cast in an unreleased music video of his. At the time, Manson was married to his then-wife Dita Von Teese, who was also friends with Bianco. So, the pair didn’t strike up a relationship until two years later, following his divorce.
Bianco lived with Manson for roughly two months in 2011, during which she said she felt like a “prisoner.”
The actor says Manson “controlled” everything she did, from when she went to sleep to when she left their shared apartment. She also alleges that the singer repeatedly physically assaulted her, including cutting her with a knife.
“I think I would have made excuses for him,” Bianco says. “I was in survival mode at that point, and my brain had taught me to be small and agreeable.”
The actor’s breaking point came in May 2011 when Manson, on one occasion, chased her around their apartment with an ax. Bianco suffered a panic attack from the incident and made her escape the following month while he was sleeping.
She broke up with Manson via email a month later, in the summer of 2011.
Esmé Bianco previously spoke about being in an abusive relationship but never named Manson as her abuser until now
Though this is the first time Bianco has named Manson as her abuser, this isn’t the first time she’s talked about her abusive past.
In a 2019 interview with HuffPost, the actor discussed having been in an abusive relationship but did not reveal the name of the person whose abuse she suffered from.
“My domestic-violence relationship happened many years ago, and I was only diagnosed with PTSD two years ago,” Bianco told the outlet. “It was at that point that I started unraveling what had happened to me.”
Bianco tells The Cut that she still has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) today. But despite her horrific past with Manson, the actor hasn’t let his abuse stop her from speaking out.
In 2019, Bianco joined fellow Manson abuse victim Evan Rachel Wood to advocate the Phoenix Act, which extends the time domestic abuse survivors have to press charges against their abuser.
Like Wood, Bianco spoke of her abuse to the California Senate (per Rolling Stone), but she did not name Manson at the time. The Phoenix Act passed in 2020.
As for Manson, he has denied all allegations made against him.
