TEENAGE REBEL
STAR WAS SCHOOL JOKER It’s amazing to see how her star is shining so brightly
EXCLUSIVE
Niki
and in Sydney
REBEL Wilson was always Pitch Perfect for a role as a Hollywood comedian, as these snaps show.
The Australian star, who is hosting the BAFTA Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall tonight, can be seen smiling with friends at her Year 12 prom 25 years ago.
Former school pal Min Petkovic told the Sunday People: “She was destined for life on the stage. She had the gift of the gab, good banter and knew how to crack a joke.
“She was born to be on the stage – and the one thing she always had was that X factor.” Min and Rebel, whose real name is Melanie
Bownds, were in the same year at Tara Anglican
School for Girls in
Sydney. Min, 42, said:
“We were good friends at school and Rebel – or Mel, as she was known then – was very well liked.
“We always knew she’d go far. She thoroughly deserves her success.”
Rebel got her breakthrough role a year after she moved to the US, playing Fat Amy in 2012 comedy Pitch Perfect. But by then she had a string of Aussie TV roles under her belt, including a six-part musical comedy she wrote herself.
Min recalled: “She was always such good fun at school, pulling faces and making everyone laugh.
“She had a lovely energy and big smile and was the life and soul of the party. People would flock to her. She
was great on the debating team and really good at tennis and basketball. “She was popular among the teachers, too. She was the school captain, head of the drama club and always took the lead roles in theatre productions.”
Min also remembers Rebel falling from the rafters during a school show. Rebel has previously told how pals “thought she was dead”.
Recalling the Year 12 school prom at the glitzy Ritz-carlton in 1997, Min said: “It was such a fun night but God, the 90s weren’t kind to us.”
Although they lost touch after school, Min follows Rebel on Instagram and loves seeing how successful she has become.
Min said: “It’s amazing to see how her star is shining brightly.”