'American Beauty' star Mena Suvari reveals sexual abuse horror when she was just 12

'American Beauty' star Mena Suvari reveals sexual abuse horror when she was just 12
Mena Suvari spoke about being sexually abused when she was just a child in her memoir titled 'The Great Peace: A Memoir' (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for goop)

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains information about sexual assault that could be traumatic for some readers. Discretion is advised.

Mena Suvari found fame at a very young age and has been a part of several movies like 'American Pie', 'American Beauty', and more. After years of struggling, the actress spoke about her demons in her memoir titled 'The Great Peace: A Memoir'. When it came out, Suvari's son was only a few months old, and she was suffering from postnatal depression. It was not easy for her to talk about the trauma she mentioned in the book. 

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The 43-year-old award-winning actress gathered the courage to talk about her past when she was put through hell. The actress revealed in the memoir that she was raped when she was merely 12 years old, was thrown as bait to predatory older men, coped with drug addiction, and had a terrifying and abusive relationship where she was manipulated into maintaining a sexual relationship with other people as well. Suvari said that she doesn't care about the sales of the memoir as writing her ordeal was the most important part. She told The Guardian, 'I needed to express myself. I needed to purge this in order to move on … I very much wanted to let it go."