Hollywood star Rebel Wilson speaks to heat
She may be a comedian extraordinaire, but there is so much more to this real-life hustler
With a name like Rebel, Ms Wilson was never going to be the conforming type. It might surprise people to learn that the Australian-born actress holds a law degree from the University of New South Wales (which she achieved while taking evening acting classes). And while most of us became aware of her as gormless Brynn in 2011’s Bridesmaids, she couldn’t be more different from the character who thought a Mexican drinking worm would make a good tattoo.
Not only did she draw up her own contracts early on in her career, Rebel also knows how to use her strengths to her advantage. Where
some actresses could feel a need to conform to a certain size, Rebel affirms, “I saw my size as being an advantage, whereas so many women see it as a disadvantage.” She also knows it’s her razor-sharp wit and bold personality that earn her the standout roles.
She was the first cast member signed up for the Pitch Perfect series – which, to date, has grossed more than half a billion dollars – and she’s taking on two roles in her latest film The Hustle. The female-driven remake of 1988 comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels sees Rebel not only taking on a lead role alongside Anne Hathaway, but also sitting in the producer’s chair. The Hustle follows Isn’t It Romantic as the second offering from her very own production company.
As well as a real-life business hustler, Rebel
has become such an icon of modern comedy that it is criminal to think she could have ended up hidden away in a courtroom. Or in a period drama, if she’d had her way…
Had you always wanted to work as a comic actress? I dreamed of becoming an actress like Judi Dench – comedy was not something I aspired to at all. My family reckons that I’m not funny, and that they’re all funnier than me! I did a lot of serious academic study growing up, and I was the kind of girl who was very sensible. But when I started doing theatre in Australia, a lot of times when I walked on stage, people in the audience would start to laugh, and I was quite offended. And the more seriously I took myself when I played a part, the more the audience laughed. That’s when I saw that I had something that could make people laugh, and decided I would do comedy. Ever since, I’ve been trying to interpret my characters as seriously as possible and using that approach to generate humour. It helps that you’re also an amazing improviser… I love that. I think improvising is often a way of making your character and your character’s lines more real. When you’re in the middle of playing a scene, the real acting comes from being present and being in the moment. It’s impossible to recreate that feeling in any other way, and improvising comes from that feeling you have when you’re in the middle of the scene and you’re reacting to the other actors. It’s the best feeling. You studied law in Australia – were you planning on being a lawyer or did you want to act? I had no idea what was going to happen. I was studying law during the day and taking theatre classes at night. I was a very ordinary girl from Sydney and didn’t have a clue about getting into the film business. But the more I worked at it, I saw it was something I was good at and I just kept at it. And it was your role in Bridesmaids that set your Hollywood career in motion… Bridesmaids was my first job in America. I was so close to getting a couple of movies, and I’m so glad that Bridesmaids was the first one. I went in and improvised for them, with Kristen Wiig, for an hour in a room. Suddenly, Judd Apatow [the producer] said, “Tell Kristen about your love life. Go!” and I said, “But I’ve prepared the script.” And I just kept going for an hour while they filmed it all. I went for Melissa Mccarthy’s role, but I was a bit too young for that. But they really liked my audition, and so they added me as the roommate. There was never a female roommate in the script. They just added it in because they liked my audition. And then, of course, when the movie came out, it was just like, “Bang!” Did the offers just come rolling in after that? After Bridesmaids came out, I booked five movies within a week or two, and Pitch Perfect was one of them. I was the first person to be cast in Pitch Perfect. Kay Cannon [the film’s screenwriter] said she’d really like me to read the script and consider playing Fat Amy. I had actually played a character in [an Australian sketch show] called Fat Mandi, so I was like, “Yeah, I have experience! I could totally do that!” And then, when I read the script, I was like, “This is so funny!” and I knew I had to do it. And then your career just soared... I just had no idea that would happen. But what was just as important was that Bridesmaids marked the beginning of so many fantastic female ensemble comedies. That is opening up so many great roles for me and a lot of other actresses. I was able to catch the wave. Was it always your ambition to get to play the lead in a big Hollywood film? It’s something I’ve been working towards for a long time. I’m lucky to have been part of a lot of great ensemble casts, but getting to carry a whole movie has always been one of my ambitions. It’s been great to finally get there. And not only that, you’ve both starred in and produced your last two films [The Hustle and Isn’t It Romantic]. What has that been like? I’ve discovered that there’s a lot more responsibility when you’re playing the lead and you have to
‘My life is about speaking up and being proud of who I am’
carry a movie. Basically, it means you’re in every scene, which is something I’m not used to, and I don’t have three or four days off in between my scenes. Now, I’m on the set every day basically, and sometimes that means 16-hour days. So, it’s an adjustment, but I’m happy to be in this position. You’ve spoken out in the past about wanting to empower other women who don’t fit the traditional Hollywood image – why is it such an important issue for you? There’s a lot of pressure on women, especially younger women, to conform to the thin body image. Not everyone can be that way, and no one should be ashamed of how they look, or suffer bullying and other forms of abuse because of their size and shape. I’m a very unique case in Hollywood, because there are very few women who look like me and are working a lot in movies. So, if women – and young women in particular – can see me in interesting roles, being brave and bold and having fun in life, that can be a big help, and help their selfimage and self-respect. It’s obviously something you’re personally very passionate about... I take my responsibility seriously that way. I want to do everything I can to present a positive, intelligent image for women who should be proud of their spirit and energy, which will ultimately overcome any negative perceptions about how women are expected to look. How do you find your image affects the way you are received in comedy? It’s always been the case that there’s this commonly held notion that audiences find it harder to laugh at a very attractive woman, as well as finding it harder to laugh at women than at a man. In my case, my physicality makes it easier for people to laugh at me, although it’s driven by my personality. I use my appearance to make people laugh, but I also think I could be just as interesting and funny if I lost weight because I think my fans would always follow me. Were you always so confident when you were growing up? No, I was the exact opposite! I would turn red when I talked to people I didn’t know. I was the shy girl who had no friends, and I would stand on the sidelines watching to see how other girls made themselves popular. Then I got fed up with hiding in the background, and I saw that I had a choice to make – either stay the shy girl who is always watching other people from the corner, or assert myself and try to become one of the popular girls. I decided that I was going to stand up, be seen, and not be afraid to be myself. If you had to sum up what your USP was, what would you say? I think it’s because I have a lot of drive and energy, and I don’t take things too seriously. I used to be very shy as a child, and my mother would have to push me into drama class and not let me come out. I still remember when the drama teacher asked my name, and I told her it was Rebel, except I said my name with an American accent. It was that moment that I discovered how easy it was to speak up, provided I had a character I could play. So, my life is about speaking up, not being afraid, being proud of who I am, and see how far that takes me. ■ The Hustle is in cinemas on 10 May