Jan 3, 2009, 4:00 GMT
Evan Rachel Wood says making 'The Wrestler' was "like 10 years of therapy in a week".
12/16/2008 - Evan Rachel Wood - The 21-year-old actress, who stars as the estranged daughter of Mickey Rourke in the movie, admits the role helped her confront her own issues about her father. © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos
The 21-year-old actress, who stars as the estranged daughter of Mickey Rourke in the movie, admits the role helped her confront her own issues about her father.
Evan, who was estranged from her dad Ira David Wood III for much of her life, found it easy to empathise with her character in the film.
She explained: "I can relate to a lot of what my character was going through. I was away from my father for most of my life, so I know the feeling, that loneliness - you're so sad about something but still so angry at the same time.
"Doing those scenes, and dealing with those emotions that I've ignored for most of my life, was a big deal. It was such a sigh of relief when it was all over."
Evan eventually reconciled with her father and says he was one of the few people to accept her romance with rocker Marilyn Manson.
She added to Britain's Independent newspaper: "He has really been my main supporter. He was one of the few people, family members, that did not care. He was just there for me, unconditionally. So I realised he was very important."
Last month, it was claimed Evan and Manson have split and he was dating model Isani Grifith.
However, Manson has denied the rumours and recently revealed on his website: "The rumours that I have found a 'replacement' for Evan, or that I have a new girlfriend are absolutely not true."
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