Mena Suvari was just 17 when she met her abusive ex. Photo / Getty Images
Mena Suvari was just 17 when she met her abusive ex. Photo / Getty Images
WARNING: This story has references to sexual abuse.
Mena Suvari says a former partner used to "manipulate" her into having threesomes with other women.
The actor told The Guardian she met her ex when she was just 17 years old. Now aged 43, Suvari says the man asked her to find women to have threesomes with, including people she met on set.
Suvari says she saw some of those women again years later and told one of them, "I want you to know that I never wanted to do any of those things."
She says the woman was surprised, adding that "he told me you wanted to do that".
"It was a huge eye-opener for me, how I was being manipulated and I had no idea. The circumstances had been created for me, and I was just swallowed up by it," Suvari said.
The American Beauty star added she also once needed medical attention following rough anal sex with her ex-boyfriend.
"I was not being loved. I was just a body, a receptacle for his desires," she said.
Mena Suvari first shot to fame in the 1999 movie American Beauty. Photo / Getty Images
Suvari says those experiences have affected her current relationship with sex.
"It's a very messed up thing when you experience sexual abuse, because part of it is like, satisfying. But then the other part is an absolute nightmare, so you're confused, you don't know what's right."
Suvari has previously said her brother's friend raped her when she was 12. She told The Guardian she never had an opportunity to "discover" herself sexually and missed out on dating through high school and choosing when to lose her virginity.
"That sounds so beautiful to me. All of that was lost for me."
Suvari is currently happily married to her third husband, Michael Hope. The couple welcomed their son, Christopher, last year.
SEXUAL HARM - DO YOU NEED HELP? If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone contact the Safe to Talk confidential crisis helpline on: • Text 4334 and they will respond • Email support@safetotalk.nz • Visit https://safetotalk.nz/contact-us/ for an online chat Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list. If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
