‘Game of Thrones’ Actress Esmé Bianco Details Alleged Graphic Abuse by ‘Serial Predator’ Marilyn Manson
Content warning: This article discusses details of domestic violence, abuse and sexual assault.
Actress Esmé Bianco, known for her role as Ros on the HBO hit show Game of Thrones, has detailed the abuse she says she endured while dating Marilyn Manson in an interview in New York Magazine.
Bianco is one of several women who have come forward to publicly name Manson as their abuser in recent weeks, lead by actress Evan Rachel Wood's outing of the shock rocker. Both women also testified about their experiences of abuse in California (Wood in 2018, Bianco in 2019) in an attempt to reform domestic violence laws, though neither revealed the name of the abuser while recollecting the specific incidents.
"He’s told the world time and time again, 'This is who I am.' He hid in plain sight," Bianco said during the interview, which New York Magazine conducted over Zoom.
Bianco, now 38, revealed that the two had met in 2005 through Manson's then-fiancée Dita Von Teese, who knew Manson wanted to meet the actress/burlesque dancer. The two remained in contact, and, after Manson's marriage to Von Teese ended in 2007, the communication turned flirtatious.
In 2009, Manson then purchased Bianco a plane ticket to fly from her home in London to his home in Los Angeles for the purpose of featuring her in the music video for his The High End of Low track, "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies."
The rocker told Bianco in an email, "I need to have a victim/lover" for the shoot and, "You are gonna have to pretend to like being manhandled by me. Sorry."
At the time of the shoot, Bianco was 26 and, per the report, "spent the next three days in lingerie, barely sleeping or eating, with Manson serving up cocaine rather than food." Manson also displayed acts of violence when enraged, it says, such as throwing a camera at a smoke alarm, which later turned to physical violence toward the actress — she was tied to a prayer kneeler with cables, lashed with a whip and a Violet Wand electric sex toy was used on the wounds.
The report notes this was the same "torture device" Wood said Manson used on her as well.
Upon returning home to London, Bianco's former roommate Hannah Fox inquired about the cuts and bruises sustained by Bianco, urging that this was not typical of BDSM/kink dynamics, which prompted Bianco to withdraw regarding her experience. Manson also then provided excuses as to why the music video had not been released.
In 2011, Manson extended another invite toward Bianco, who was married at the time, urging he would be able to help her secure a work visa in the United States to build on her acting career, which was trending upward as she had just wrapped up filming for the first season of Game of Thrones, which casts her in the role of a prostitute who faces violent abuse.
She moved into Manson's apartment, where she then was at the mercy of the musician, who had specific demands of her and an overwhelming sense of control.
"I basically felt like a prisoner. I came and went at his pleasure. Who I spoke to was completely controlled by him," said Bianco. "I called my family hiding in the closet.”
Manson's former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, said, "Whatever he is doing, you should be doing. If he’s spinning out and staying up, you need to stay up. And if he’s not eating, you just don’t eat."
The report also indicated that three individuals — Bianco, Walters and "Alex" (an inner circle member using a pseudonym to maintain anonymity) — specified that Manson kept the house temperate in the low 60s and had blackout curtains drawn at all times, suspending the sense of time for those inside.
“Everybody was dehumanized. Everyone was constantly walking on eggshells," added Walters.
The relationship between Bianco and Manson was intended to be monogamous, though that was not the case as Walters often noted Manson was having sex with other women in his studio, encouraging her to keep Bianco occupied.
Walters also made note of a room that was made of walls of glass and was the size of the closet that Manson had the ability to lock from the outside. He dubbed it the "bad girl's room."
Psychological abuse is also said to have taken place while others were present inside the home for various activities, even ones of leisure such as watching movies and television. When the Game of Thrones pilot episode aired, Manson repeatedly played Bianco's sex scene in front of his guests and remarked, "That’s my girlfriend, she’s a whore. Look, her tits are out."
Others had also noted bruises and other marks on Bianco's arms and back, but did not pry into the nature of these wounds, uncertain if they were part of consensual acts or ones of abuse.
In the two months Bianco spent living with Manson in his home, she also recollected one particularly violent moment where Manson had cut her torso with a knife multiple times and later sent a photo of the cut torso to Walters, saying "See what happens?"
Of that moment, Bianco said, "I just remember laying there, and I didn’t fight it. It was kind of this final-straw moment where I had lost all sense of hope and safety."
In May of 2011, Manson also chased Bianco around the house with an ax while threatening her, according to the report.
By June, the actress said she was secretly looking for a new place to live and ultimately ended her relationship with Manson by email. The two later encountered one another again in 2013, where Manson had trapped her on a tour bus and blocked the doorway and Walters said she remembered waiting until 5AM for the musician to let the actress leave.
In the interview, Bianco concluded that Manson is a "serial predator" and stated, "He’s not a misunderstood artist. He deserves to be behind bars for the rest of his life."
This follows Evan Rachel Wood's statement in which she said Manson had groomed her when she was a teenager and "horrifically abused me for years."
Bianco also appeared on camera for an interview with Good Morning America, which you can view below.
Since, a number of people close to Manson — another former personal assistant, past bandmate Wes Borland, Trent Reznor, exes — have all condemned him as an abuser. Loma Vista, CAA and Tony Ciulla, Manson's record label, talent agency and longtime manager, respectively, have since dropped him as a client and he has also been removed from various TV roles.
Meanwhile, Manson released a response statement to the allegations of abuse, labeling them "horrible distortions of reality."
If you or someone you know is facing abuse, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website. A disclaimer on the website notes that if you are concerned your Internet usage is being monitored, an alternative option is to call 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233).