Rebel Rebel: Poorly Treated, Or Public Enemy #1?
Is Rebel Wilson leading a masterclass in how to kill you career, or schooling us all in the art of reinvention?
Rebel Rebel, how could they know?
Pitch Perfect. The Hustle. Bridesmaids.
(Not included in the hits round-up for obvious reasons: Cats, Senior Year, Ghost Rider.)
For a while there, Rebel Wilson seemed unstoppable, making a mark for both Australian comedy and curvy girls everywhere, with her knack for dry monotone one liners, apt for physical comedy, and her relatable touch of vulnerability on screen.
Fast forward to 2024, and she’s being sued by her former film producers, had portions of her memoir redacted, was chastised for her clothing line, and hasn’t been on screen in years.
To many, she is a clear Aussie success story, who can’t win whatever she does and is being brought down by the Hollywood machine.
To others, she’s turned her back on her fans, and if she’s crashing, she’s taking everyone with her.
So… how did we get here?
In suburban Sydney, a star is born
Rebel made her mark on the Aussie comedy scene in the early 2000s, largely due to a range of free-to-air TV sketch shows I admit I never watched, like Pizza, The Wedge, and Bogan Pride, the latter of which she also wrote and produced.
She was also a pretty smart cookie – Rebel graduated with a rank of 99.3 (we used to call it an ENTER, do not ask me what it is now!) and got herself a law degree. Rebel really could have been anything, but apparently, a malaria-induced hallucination convinced her to go to Hollywood (…but actually. How did she not star on Byron Baes?).
Fast forward to the 2010s, and it felt like Rebel was everywhere, but not in your face – in a ‘we can’t enough!’ way, where we loved watching her shine on screen. Bit parts in films like Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig and What to Expect When You’re Expecting alongside Elizabeth Banks led to her real breakout – playing Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect film series. Her no b*llshit, confident, funny college member of acapella group the Barden Bellas skyrocketed her into first-name-billing status, headlining criminally underrated films like The Hustle with Anne Hathaway, and How to Be Single with Dakota Johnson.
Rebel was a star, managing to break the Hollywood barriers of size and inclusivity, and in all honesty, seemed to be the only one doing it at the time. Even if they weren’t that far apart in age, her only real ‘competitor’ for – shock horror – size-inclusive characters appeared to be Melissa McCarthy, who was getting roles in a higher age bracket while the 30-something Rebel could get parts playing college kids.
She became a role model and advocate for body positivity, stating in various interviews that her size was an “advantage,” and “I like spreading the message that you can be beautiful and confident whatever shape or size you are.”
Following up on her success, she released her own plus-sized clothing line and range of embellished t-shirts. She performed on the West End and landed the cover of Vogue Australia. She did a Dreamworks movie and presented at the Academy Awards.
So when did it start going – allegedly – downhill?
Cats, a Kung Fu Panda and an African leopard. Wait, what?
While it’s hard to pinpoint a particular moment, Rebel had a few missteps with film and TV choices. While this doesn’t always mean you can’t climb back up (even my BFF Julia Roberts had a string of flops between Pretty Woman and My Best Friend’s Wedding), it certainly doesn’t help. She appeared in the universally panned Cats alongside children’s faces CGI-printed on mice. The Netflix films she led, Isn’t It Romantic and Senior Year, didn’t exactly set streaming on fire (although I won’t complain about seeing her lead for the former, Liam Hemsworth, in my lounge room).
She also took on some strange roles that seemed a bit beneath a then-A list Hollywood actress, like hosting a dog styling show on Australian free-to-air TV, or fronting Jenny Craig ads (but hey, a dollar’s a dollar).
In 2015, a damning Woman’s Day article was published, alleging she stretched the truth when it came to details about her life – like her name, age and upbringing. While the story was (rightly) condemned for outing her age (like, who actually cares?) some claims the story stated she made were a bit weird, I spose - climbing in a cage with a leopard, that she grew up in the ghetto of Sydney (what’s that, like $1200 per week for a one bed?) and was related to Walt Disney.
To be fair, I wouldn’t exactly call on Woman’s Day as a reference in court as an utmost source of truth, and none of this is exactly blackface or paedophilia, but it got a fair bit of press regardless. Rebel even sued for defamation, claiming that both the Woman’s Day piece and subsequent articles by Bauer Media damaged her career, leading her to lose movie roles including two with DreamWorks (Kung Fu Panda 3 and Trolls) over the 2015-2016 period.
(For those curious, she initially was awarded $4.7m in damages, and in an appeal, ended up needing to pay back $4.1m from that.)
If Rebel’s claims were true, it’s pretty upsetting that a magazine article about a bunch of stories that don’t really matter had such an effect. But the damage was done, and the perceived contradictions in her comments and actions meant her ‘downfall’ had begun.
From inclusive to exclusive
Back in 2013, Rebel had created a fun range of t-shirts for sizes 12+, and in 2017, she released a plus-size, affordable clothing line which was viewed by higher-ups as a “$100 million opportunity.”
By 2020, Rebel had embarked on what she called a “year of health,” going on a very public journey and campaign to spruik her almost 40kg weight loss. While everyone is of course allowed to change their beauty and health goals (being mad at stars for wanting to be healthy at any weight is honestly so weird IMHO), what fans didn’t like was that her connection to her fans seemed to disappear along with the weight.
In 2022, Rebel released another clothing line. Except this time, it was a ‘limited edition’ tracksuit that retailed for $500(!). Sizes only ranged from small to large - a far cry from her inclusive and affordable t-shirt and clothing line, which is arguably what gained her fans in the fashion space in the first place.
Rightly or wrongly, people were mad, and they weren’t afraid to talk about it. In reviews, on socials, in the media and it seems in sales – at last check, the tracksuit was a one-off gamble that isn’t readily or easily available for purchase in store or online.
I will admit, while not personally in the category of buying $500 tracksuits or even $20 donut t-shirts by Rebel Wilson, I found it a really weird career move, like she was really trying to say “I’m not that girl anymore, I’m just like everyone else!” forgetting that the reason everyone fell in love with her in the first place was because she was exactly the opposite.
Again, she is allowed to change her mind on weight, health, and body positivity. Being always seen as a self-described “funny fat girl” might have gotten old, and she is allowed to change her mind and not want to be like that any more. What one person chooses to do with their body, and their business ventures, really isn’t anyone else’s business. She didn’t ask to become a role model due to her weight - she’s an actor, not a health practitioner. No-one seems to condemn other brands or models who only have smaller sizes or expensive couture, but Rebel had to face the brunt of the criticism just because she had previously been a bigger size?
On the other hand, while losing or gaining weight healthily shouldn’t be condemned, to many fans, it was the audience alienation, like she no longer wanted to be a part of it. Rebel stated she previously made herself “less attractive deliberately” to gain success, even though she previously said that being “unique and different” meant she was “really lucky” and that it had all been a positive in her career.
The difference was that she had been so celebrated, confident, positive and made other women feel the same, so that to turn around and say actually, I didn’t mean it, I never liked it, I don’t know her, this is the actual me, who sells $500 trakkies and talks about my weight loss journey – to some fans, it felt like a betrayal of the camaraderie and perceived false positivity that had been radiated and shared with women who had been just like her, championing her success on and off the screen.
Rebel the actor, or Rebel the persona?
In the media, Rebel continued to publicise herself not as Rebel Wilson - funny actress, promoting a film, but as Rebel Wilson, public persona. She spoke with various news sites and posted regular updates about her weight loss journey on social media.
She also publicly complained that her weight had received more attention than any of her work.
To be fair to Rebel, there was a large amount of press – still is – about her weight, her weight loss journey, her year of health and personal life. Over the past two years, it appears there have been more stories about this aspect of Rebel’s life than publicising any media projects.
But honestly – and happy to stand corrected – if you are going to go on a (very clear) PR trail to multiple news sources to talk about losing weight, you release expensive, exclusive clothing lines and then wonder why you’re getting attention for said PR trail - I mean, then yes, people are going to have opinions about it.
It felt strange, like something you only do when a) the roles are drying up/your music is no longer relevant (routes: reality TV judge, cheesy Netflix rom-com, side business empire) or you’re a reality star trying to stretch your 15 minutes (routes: OnlyFans, lifestyle podcast, reality TV contestant). It didn’t seem like Rebel was really either – so why do it?
A new Rebel in the making
On the positive side, she did have bouts of news that resonated with fans - after almost being outed by a major media corporation (which was universally condemned) she got engaged to partner Ramona Agruma in 2022, and the couple happily welcomed a baby girl via surrogate later that year. At least in her personal life, things seemed to be moving along happily.
How to lose fans friends and alienate peers people
While a disconnect appeared to be happening with some long-time fans (not all), in 2024, she very publicly dropped hints of beef with other celebrities in a publicity pull for her upcoming memoir, Rebel Rising. And look, we’re all here for a bit of celebriTEA. But this tea spill… just caused a big ol’ mess.
Over her own Instagram and in the press, she accused Sacha Baron Cohen, her co-star in 2016’s swing-and-a-miss Grimsby, of sexual misconduct, being an “asshole,” and alleged in part that he and his team had ‘bullied’ and ‘threatened’ her. Cohen responded with a vehement denial, and subsequently had the claims blocked from publication.
Excerpts from Rebel Rising published in the media also revealed she feels singer Adele “hates” her because of her weight, that Pizza creator Paul Fenech is fatphobic and told her she tries “too much.”
All the above may well be true. It is also all unsubstantiated, and to put in print without fact-checking, can read like a lot of opinions masquerading as fact, and can lead to defamation suits left right and centre.
It did lead to speculation that the name dropping was just another way to get more press around the book. After all, media are much more interested in a story about alleged feuding between Rebel and Adele than they are about a perceived dislike with an unnamed friend from high school. But the problem with allegations like this - and not just Rebel, but all public slinging, really - is that it can be really damaging on both sides.
She claimed Adele hates her without ever speaking to her about it privately. Paul Fenech appeared blindsided by her comments which he denied, and revealed he was “hurt” by the allegations.
Some condemned the allegations, finding it callous and without merit. Others applauded her for speaking out about a sexist and fatphobic industry. If that’s how she saw it, that’s how she saw it. But hey, either way – it got headlines.
If you wanna be a player, you gotta play the game
In another interview in the lead up to her book’s publication, Rebel said her agency liked her “fat” - despite admitting she purposely marketed herself in such a fashion to gain Hollywood success.
This can really go two ways.
While having contract stipulations about appearance may be unique to Hollywood, to be fair, they certainly weren’t unique to Rebel.
Renee Zellweger needed to gain weight for Bridget Jones. Christian Bale needed to lose weight for The Machinist. Margot Robbie had to maintain her rig for Barbie. Chris Pratt had to get jacked for Guardians of the Galaxy. Celeste Barber knows she would alienate fans if she started to look like the very celebrities she makes fun of, and famous fitness trainers like Michelle Bridges need to maintain their weight to maintain their brand. It’s a life in the spotlight, and they can walk away at any time. But if they don’t - them be the rules. Play or get off the set.
It may sound harsh, but film and TV are visual mediums, which is why an actor playing a famed boxer will need to appear muscular, an actress playing Marilyn Monroe needs to appear blonde, playing a person dying of a disease may need to look sick and/or thin, or it doesn’t make sense.
This is for specific roles where the visual are part of the role. I will stress that it doesn’t mean that someone who is outside quote unquote ‘conventional’ sizing or looks shouldn’t ALSO be up for the lead role in a romantic comedy, have hot sex scenes, be spokesperson for a cosmetics company, or have their weight define their other roles or stature in life.
But there are certain parts that require particular attributes, or the art medium is no longer believable. There are also certain actors who know their ‘shtick’ can mean great money and success. As for Rebel’s agency preferring her to maintain a certain weight to make money - yeah, no sh*t. You’re an actor, wanting very particular visual roles after you marketed yourself in a very visually specific way, which gave you a point of difference over the hundreds of other thin blonde actresses trying to make it in Hollywood. It seemed strange to then call them out on the very thing she had once called on them for.
She by no means needs to stay a certain weight. But if it was how you marketed yourself, and how your agency marketed you, it just seems strange to then call them out.
It’s 2024 - does weight really still matter?
It’s hard to know if her weight loss has actually affected her ability to get roles. Whether it was the article, the weight loss, the public feuds or personal choice is hard to pinpoint. Arguably it shouldn’t - losing weight doesn’t mean you lose the ability to be funny, just like gaining weight doesn’t mean you lose the ability to be hot - but she has not been on screen in two years.
People of course change and evolve. She didn’t want to laugh about it anymore - and that’s fair enough. I think we can all relate to looking at old photos or videos where we weren’t in our best light, and we don’t like it, we don’t want to be associated in that vein anymore and are looking to move on.
When I think back to bits of hers we all found funny, people loved to laugh at a character called Fat Amy – arguably a name that wouldn’t fly in a 2024 film. We also found it hilarious when she had lines such as “I’m the hot one.”
So, why did we laugh?
Are we laughing because it’s so outside the realm of possibility that the ‘fat’ character could be the hot one, and that’s why it’s so funny? Are we laughing because she’s so self confident that it’s hilarious, and it wouldn’t matter what she looked like? Are we laughing with her, because we love her confidence?
You know your own answer.
Performers can change shtick - actors become singers, comedians do drama, dancers become TV hosts - but it needs to be done carefully, one step at a time, so we still feel it’s the same person, just in a new light. Changing looks and a new serious personality in one hit - it creates a complete disconnect with who you are at all.
Perhaps the difference with some of the above actors is while their weight changed, their character acting didn’t - for instance, we know Christian Bale for his drama, or Renee at doing both drama and comedy. Perhaps Rebel changing from being a comedian who played characters like Fat Amy to being a slimmed-down, serious version of herself - a change in both looks and public persona - was too much of a change for people in the one go. She had been known as a comedian who made fun of her own weight, getting the audience to laugh with her. But if you’re no longer going to look and act like the Rebel Wilson we know, who generally looked the same in most roles (unlike a character actor like Daniel Day Lewis or Meryl Streep) - then, the audience may ask – who are you?
It’s probably a bit harder when her particular brand of comedy has, in a large part, been based on her weight in various roles - characters named after it, joking about it, interviewing about it, creating businesses around it. It’s not impossible, it’s just a bit of a mind shift.
Maybe we need to see a ‘new look Rebel’ in a comedy role showing how much her size doesn’t matter - she is still funny as ever. Comedy isn’t always about the visual, it’s the joke. Comedians, of course, come in all shapes, ages and sizes - Fran Drescher, Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, Carole Burnett, Chelsea Handler - maybe we just need something that says ‘Rebel is still f*cking funny.’
And hey, look. This could be all wrong. Perhaps she really just has been enjoying newly married life as a mother, has a range of new roles up her sleeve, is feeling fit and healthy and couldn’t give two sh*ts about how the book sledging has come out in the press. In which case, keep being a Rebel.
Rebel by name, Rebel by nature
In July 2024, after two years off the screen, Rebel was set to screen her directorial debut, The Deb, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Drama unfolded when Rebel made a public-facing video on her Instagram, openly naming and accusing the film’s producers of embezzlement, inappropriate behaviour toward the lead actress, treating her (Rebel) with viciousness and retaliatory behaviour, and “trying to make [her] life hell.” She also openly accused them of trying to bury her movie with behaviour that was “vile and disgusting,” and that there was a “vile history” of this behaviour” of “not behaving ethically.” She ended by stating, “If my movie doesn’t play at Toronto, it’s because of these absolute f*ckwits.” Rebel by name, Rebel by nature.
While a slinging match ensued both in the media and now it seems, in legal proceedings, the court of public opinion seems to be pretty split.
On one hand, you’ve got the fans – those in her comments thanking her for speaking up, doing what’s right, standing up for herself/women, and refusing to be silenced. There’s also this piece from the Hollywood Reporter in 2010 that didn’t exactly make things look great for the producer mentioned.
On the other, you’ve got a lawsuit from Hollywood producers claiming in court documents that Rebel "has a history of fabricating false and malicious lies to hide her own lack of professionalism and advance her own self-interest" and that Rebel was just trying to “get credit for work she did not do, and to overshadow young, upcoming artists who truly deserved the credit." They also claimed she was uncollaborative, unprofessional, improper and threatening, with some showbiz reporters wondering why she has “blown up her career.”
As of now, the film screening is set to go ahead in September. We are next due to see Rebel in Bride Hard, due in theatres later this year. Time will tell as to the success.
As for me, I’ll be rooting for her, whatever size she is and if she’s looking to give another genre a go – I just hope she does it well.
So jury, what say you? Is she on the successful path toward reinvention, or has being a Rebel backfired?