While she may be known as Pitch Perfect's scene-stealing Fat Amy to many, Rebel Wilson
has been taking the world by storm for years.
Join us as we take a look back at the life of this hilarious Australian actress and how
she's transformed over the years.
Born on March 2, 1980 in Sydney, Australia, Rebel Wilson grew up with three siblings in
the loving care of her professional Beagle-breeder parents.
Wilson recalled in Marie Claire,
"I was so unusually shy, bordering on a social disorder.
So my mum, one day she drives me to this community acting class.
I was holding on to the car door and crying.
She had to peel me off the car.
She's like, 'I'll pick you up in two hours,' and she left me."
As for where her comedic streak comes from, Wilson told Image,
"My family reckons I'm like, not funny at all.
They think they're all funnier.
And I'm like, 'What professional comedy have you done?'"
Wilson started to find her voice as a teenager, as she explained to Flare,
"I went to an all-girls [Christian] high school and we were very much encouraged to, like,
go after the career that you want, and, go out into the world and pursue what you wanna
do and live your dreams."
It was when Wilson attended the University of New South Wales as well as the Australian
Theater for Young People that she would find her footing on the stage.
But she didn't set out to do comedy, as the actress told The New York Times,
"I thought I was playing a serious [stage] role...I got visibly quite angry that people
were laughing at me.
And then people would laugh more...I thought, fat is funny, in a weird way...People find
it easier to laugh at bigger girls.
And I thought, that's going to be my game plan."
That game plan would become her lucky calling card in Hollywood.
Having already found success in Australia, Wilson moved to West Hollywood in 2010 at
30 years old, and the cards were stacked against her in more ways than one.
According to InStyle, Wilson said,
"No one thought I would be a feature film actress crushing it around the world, but
I beat the odds and have achieved so much."
As it turned out, Wilson's comedic style helped her stand out in a sea of serious actors,
as she told HungerTV,
"I think I'm one of the first comedy actors from Australia, to come bring my own style
here.
So that's a bit different."
In fact, it was Wilson's differences that helped land her the Hollywood roles that she's
now famous for.
She shared with Cosmopolitan in 2015,
"Being unique and different was a really good thing...When I walked into my agent's office
for the first time, they looked at me and said, 'Wow, we have nobody on our books like
you.'
And they signed me on my second day [in the U.S.]."
The star joined the William Morris Endeavor agency in 2010, and it wasn't long before
the 30-year-old Australian transplant scored her breakout role as Kristen Wiig's roommate
Brynn in the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids.
"You just moved into a new house…"
"Here is Los Angeles."
"With your Bridesmaids co-star, Matt Lucas."
Wilson made some changes when she moved to Los Angeles, but she was still the same girl
at heart.
In 2015, Wilson told Cosmopolitan,
"Living in L.A. you learn a lot about health.
I now drink green juices and I'm trying to do gluten-free...I love me some ice cream
or dessert, and it comes at times when I'm happy or sad.
So when I have an incredibly successful day, I want to celebrate and reward myself with
food."
As for speculation about her weight, Wilson keeps a healthy attitude about it, especially
as her career has gone from strength to strength.
She told DailyLife in 2015,
"The odds of an Australian girl making it in Hollywood is, like, one in 25 million...I'm
lucky…But I also think I worked hard.
I deserve it."
Rebel Wilson shared with People in October 2015,
"I'm currently like a size 18, sometimes a 16 depending on how good I've been, so I'm
kind of just a bit too big for most regular clothing."
In November 2015, Wilson launched a collaboration with plus-size brand Torrid, bringing fans
a taste of her signature style.
Initially unsure of her prospects as a fashion designer, Wilson told E! News,
"I didn't think I'd be able to design clothes.
I thought, 'That's not in my repertoire.'"
Despite any initial nerves, as for why it was important to design her own line, Wilson
told InStyle,
"I want people to be a rebel in their own lives.
I've always been a non-conformist.
That's actually what my high school principal wrote in my final school report.
I never just accepted things as they were, especially if they were unfair.
I want this energy to rub off on other people and encourage girls and women out there to
go out and crush it in their lives."
Despite being extremely famous, Wilson is still the same woman underneath that lifestyle
upgrade, as she told Cosmopolitan,
"Even though, yes, now I am in movies or whatever, I am still that [dorky] girl.
People think you're really confident because you're an actress or whatever, but I'm like
the worst."
The actress also reminisced about having been working at an Australian movie theater when
her first movie, Fat Pizza, opened in 2003, when she was 23 years old.
She told Seth Meyers,
"When people were leaving the cinema, I'd be there holding the trash bag...And they'd
be like 'Hey, like, weren't you in that movie?,' and I'd be like, 'Yeah.'...A week later, I
had to quit."
But while Wilson may be a mega movie star now, she hasn't forgotten her roots.
The comedian finances scholarships for the Australian Theater for Young People that gave
her that initial start.
Having earlier been awarded a Nicole Kidman-funded scholarship to Chicago's Second City, Wilson's
making the most out of paying it forward.
As a successful star who's made a career out of her figure, Rebel Wilson's got a strict
policy when it comes to taking her clothes off on-screen.
Wilson opened up to Marie Claire U.K. about filming The Brothers Grimsby and said,
"They wanted full-frontal...We write in the contract, specifically...I'm like, I'm not
doing it.
I don't care what you say...You want to know that the people [behind the camera] have a
certain sensibility and decency.
And a lot of times in comedy they're not those people."
While she admits to having gained weight to land funnier roles, Wilson's real genius lies
in her sense of humor.
Discussing the pressures of Hollywood, she told Marie Claire,
"I've always tried to use my brain to get places."
And judging by her impressive resume, Wilson's plan is working pretty well.
The native Aussie revealed just what she does to prepare for an American role, as she told
Conan,
"I want, like, a real, genuine American accent, so I watch shows like Real Housewives of Beverly
Hills, I've been watching a lot of Honey Boo Boo.
I do, actually, watch them, and just like repeat them when they talk."
Meanwhile, the actress revealed the other ways she prepares for a role as she told Cosmopolitan,
"I'm trying to get physically fit so I'll have the stamina.
I got a personal trainer.
I'm not doing it to look great or whatever but to have the energy to do all that work.
People wouldn't think it looking at me, but I can exercise!"
Although she may rock more curves than most of Hollywood's A-list, she's all about keeping
her body in good condition.
She told Elle UK,
"You need to be physically strong for this job.
I like to have the stamina to work 16 hours a day.
I may eat a lot, but I am very healthy."
Wilson even did all her own aerial stunts for Pitch Perfect 2, overcoming her acrophobia.
In an article in the Los Angeles Times, she said,
"I stretched every day to be able to do [the stunts].
I'm afraid of heights, so...I told them, 'I'll do it three times.
I'll crush it, so turn all your cameras on.'
And I nailed it."
Rebel Wilson took some heat for passing up the opportunity to present a 2015 MTV VMA
award with Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
She told Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O in 2018,
"I got asked to present with Kendall and Kylie at the recent VMAs and said 'no.'
It's not that you hate any of them individually, but it's just that everything they stand for
is against everything I stand for.
And they're not famous for talent.
I worked really hard to get where I've gotten to."
It's also worth noting the fact that Wilson holds a law degree, and used those skills
early in her career to negotiate performance contracts.
"I also have a law degree as well guys."
Plus, Wilson has won multiple honors including several MTV Movie Awards and Glamour's International
Woman of the Year, so it's perhaps no wonder she put up a fight.
When it comes to romance, Rebel Wilson seems to be content whether she's in a relationship
or not.
She told Flare in 2016,
"Interestingly enough, I caught up with some of my girlfriends from high school when I
was back in Australia...and a lot of them weren't very happy with their situations and
were envious of mine.
I'm definitely not lonely in any way.
I love being by myself."
"Now it's time for a guided meditation, for all those lost daters out there."
While she'll happily vacation solo at her every whim, Wilson did muse about some of
the downsides to being single, as she told Flare,
"I don't think I'll be getting anything this Valentine's Day.
But there was a line in this movie The Diary of a Teenage Girl where the main character
goes, 'I wonder if anybody loves me who I don't know about,' and I was like, 'That's
interesting: you never know.'
On Valentine's Day, you could get sent something."
Wilson knows only too well that Hollywood is often a boys' club.
However, the comedian is making the most of her movie success, and told Flare in 2016,
"I feel really lucky to be a woman in Hollywood doing comedy right now...Now that more writers
are getting a chance to create these scripts, it's just more edgy.
Girls [are often] relegated to just being the love interest in a guys' movie...which
is a waste."
For years before hitting our screens, the bombshell gleaned inspiration from legendary
comediennes, and told Marie Claire,
"As a teenager I'd put [Absolutely Fabulous] on instead of working.
Jennifer Saunders was the first woman I ever saw on TV who wrote and performed her own
material."
Saunders has since played Wilson's mother in Isn't It Romantic, which had to be a dream
come true for the actress.
And while Wilson is currently pulling a Saunders and creating her own projects, she admits
that being a woman in a male-dominated industry is still an uphill battle.
Wilson explained to Elle,
"How I see it is, I do two types of job: dream jobs like female-driven comedies and the other
job, which is basically the boys' club.
I have done three big movies with men, these are talented, strong-minded males, but you
have to find a way to work that system.
You aren't being paid much and you start at a disadvantage with the script.
Usually, you don't have any cool jokes and you're there to support the male actor."
Before Pitch Perfect 3 was released in 2017, Rebel Wilson was already excited about creating
even more female-driven projects.
And the powerhouse has even started to consider moving away from comedy, and taking on some
dramatic roles, as she told Glamour,
"I've started to get offers for more serious roles and when I trained as an actor you don't
just train in comedy, of course.
Someone who I really admire is Robin Williams, who is such a genius comedian but when he
did dramatic roles they were such good dramatic turns, so yes, I'm sure there's something
around the corner."
Whatever acting projects the star takes on in the future, they're sure to have Wilson's
signature stamp all over them.
Before Rebel Wilson was a big-time Hollywood celeb, she never worried too much about what
she wore.
Part of that was due to the fact that she didn't really have to, given the work that
she was doing.
She confessed in an interview with InStyle,
"I never got anywhere because of my looks.
I got places because I had a good brain and a good imagination.
Only since moving to the States was I like, 'People pay attention to what I wear.
I should try to class it up a little bit.'"
Wilson also comes from a family that never spent too much time building their wardrobes
or focusing on beauty, which rubbed off on her as well, as she explained to InStyle,
"I didn't even get my nails done until I was 25.
It took my best friend Nick looking at my feet one day and going, 'You should maybe
do something about your nails,' for me to realize that I should go to a nail salon.
Now I'm obsessed with going."
When the German company Bauer Media published an article in Woman's Day that accused Rebel
Wilson of lying about her name, childhood, and age, the actress decided to fight back.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wilson sued the media company for defamation in 2017,
saying that their articles had done damage to her reputation and had caused her to miss
out on lucrative roles.
She won the lawsuit and was awarded $3.6 million in damages.
However, on appeal, her payout was reduced to $436,000, as the ruling said there was
insufficient evidence that she lost out on major roles because of the information in
the articles.
At the end of it all, Wilson's takeaway was positive, as her point had been made, and
she explained,
"I have been determined to stand up to a bully and I am proud of myself for doing so."
The year 2019 was pretty magical for Rebel Wilson, as she starred in the romantic comedy
Isn't It Romantic, along with Liam Hemsworth and Adam Devine.
Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wilson proclaimed,
"I'm kind of proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy."
And while she misspoke, as both Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique have helmed rom-com films in
the past, there's certainly a dearth of roles for plus-size women in romantic comedies,
so it's still something to celebrate.
"I mean, I still haven't found love so I try to get out there."
In addition to starring in Isn't It Romantic, Wilson also claimed her first-ever producer
credit, as she was one of the film's executive producers.
She revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
"I've kind of got the bug for it now."
Clearly she does, as she went on to produce the next film that she starred in, The Hustle.
If there's one thing about Rebel Wilson that hasn't changed over the years, in spite of
her extraordinary success, it's her work ethic.
On top of her acting career and producing ventures, she's also released a line of clothing
and shoes, and she has the drive to keep doing more.
Wilson explained in an interview with InStyle,
"I think it comes from not having much as a child and seeing other people have stuff
and just wanting to be financially secure.
I always wanted to make something of myself.
And, weirdly, I always believed I would be rich and successful even as a very young child,
and I would say that to people.
If you manifest [what you want], I really do think it comes true."
Even though Wilson wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she always knew that she'd
be a Hollywood success story one day.
As the actress told InStyle,
"It’s not so much about having money.
I like doing good, charitable things.
But it is also nice when you don't have much."
While Rebel Wilson's work ethic has remained solid over the years, one thing that has evolved
is her confidence, which seems to have grown a lot.
Much of that is due to the fact that Wilson has continually nurtured her creativity, which
helped her to find her voice.
As the performer shared with InStyle,
"You can get a lot of confidence through creative arts, and that's definitely why I was forced
into it in the first place.
It was a way of expression, not because I wanted to be famous or wanted to be somebody
else."
But, of course, getting famous certainly has its perks, something Wilson celebrated when
she was cast in the 2019 film Cats.
She gushed to InStyle,
"Also, in high school musicals I was never cast as the lead, and then last week, when
I was on set for Cats, I was like, 'I'm in motherf---ing Cats!
I'm singing for Andrew Lloyd Webber!'"
Over the years, Rebel Wilson has been a fierce advocate for body positivity, especially for
plus-size women.
She knows she's a role model, which is something she takes very seriously.
The actress told the Associated Press,
"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."
As well as supporting plus-sized women all over the world, Wilson advocates keeping health,
and she announced on Instagram,
"Okay so for me 2020 is going to be called 'The Year of Health', so I put on the athleisure
and went out for a walk, deliberately hydrating on the couch right now and trying to avoid
the sugar and junk food which is going to be hard after the holidays I've just had but
I’m going to do it!
Who's with me in making some positive changes this year?"
It seems as though only good things are ahead for Wilson.
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