Although 2020 has hit many like a ton of bricks, it would seem that ironically it was also
the year of health and change for many celebrities. As yet another one is making headlines for
her life-changing weight loss.
We all know Rebel Wilson for her charm, wit, and often blunt sense of humor and of course
her iconic portrayal of Fat Amy. But recently she has been making headlines for her incredible
body transformation! Claiming 2020 as her own many have been praising the actress for
taking her health into her own hands. But at the same time, some have wondered if being
called ‘Fat Amy’ took its toll on the actress, making her feel as though she will
never be taken seriously in her industry. So the question is, why did she decide to
make this change and why now? Did her fitness fanatic boyfriend play a bigger role than
what she is leading on. Or was the pressure of Hollywood too much for her to cope with
mentally. Stay with us as we unpack everything we know about the build-up and the aftermath
of Rebel Wilson’s dramatic weight loss and of course don’t forget to subscribe to Rumour
Juice Youtube channel.
Let’s jump back to the very beginning just before the actress first made it to Hollywood.
When Rebel set out to pursue an acting career, in her twenties, she quickly found her calling
to comedy. She attended the University of New South Wales and very quickly found her
footing on stage. It might come as a surprise but she initially had her heart set on becoming
an actor for serious leads. Her audiences however had a different interpretation of
her performances.
“I thought I was playing a serious 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.”
It was then when she decided it would be her game plan. Thinking that (quote) fat is funny.
Unfortunately for Wilson, this meant that she would start her acting career under the
impression that people find it easier to laugh at (also quote) bigger girls.
At the time, the actress realized that there was a lack of comedic Australian actors who
brought their own style to Hollywood. Everyone conformed to what they thought the City of
Angels wanted from them. So, the up and coming actress saw an opening and took the very first
chance she got.
Rebel was thirty when she moved to Los Angeles in an attempt to make it in Hollywood. Bear
in mind that she already had a pretty successful career in Australia. And even though everyone
back home thought that the cards would be stacked against her, she refused to listen
and kept her eye on the prize.
“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”
Rebel was signed to a casting agency after only two days in L.A. Agents realized that
they didn’t have anyone with her looks or personality in their books. They saw her uniqueness
compared to the rest of Hollywood as a really good thing.
The actress went on to star in successful films that we all know and love such as Bridesmaids,
Pitch Perfect, and How To Be Single. Knowing there aren't many romantic comedies starring
plus-size women she dipped her toes into producing and starred in her very own romcom.
“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.”
On top of that, she has been a fierce advocate for women’s body positivity, especially
for plus-size women. Being a plus-size actress herself she knew that she would be a role
model for many and she has taken this role very seriously. In terms of how Hollywood
treats plus size women, Rebel never accepts things as they are, especially if they are
unfair. So in 2015, she announced a collaboration with plus-size brand Torrid. Hoping that it
would make more women like her bring out their inner confidence. Like the confidence, she
has presented to the rest of the world.
Despite constant speculation about her weight, the actress has always stayed very positive
about it. But it would seem as though this confidence has not always been the reality
in Rebel Wilson’s personal life. Hollywood can be harsh to many and unfortunately the
actress seemed to be one of the industry’s many victims. So what happened that made Wilson
decide to make such a big change in her life at forty years old?
Wilson explained in a 2020 interview that she was never really focused on her health.
She loved eating and for years she didn’t see the problem in being an emotional eater.
“I love me some ice cream or dessert, and it comes at a time when I’m happy or sad.
So when I have an incredibly successful day, I want to celebrate and reward myself with
food.”
The 40-year-old told Drew Barrymore she felt the overwhelming wave of stress that comes
after you’ve made it in Hollywood. She had no idea how to handle everyone watching her
every move. She explained that the only way she knew how to handle the anxiety of fame
was through emotional eating and binging on donuts. Rebel admitted that she completely
stopped valuing her self-worth. It was then that she decided that things needed to change.
She labeled 2020 the year of health and gave herself a year to reach her goal weight of
165 pounds, which as we all know by now she reached a month before her target date! Go,
Rebel!
“I put on the athleisure and went out for a walk, deliberately hydrating [...] to avoid
the sugar and junk food”
It’s interesting to think that Wilson’s decision to lose all that weight came just
after she started dating her new health-conscious boyfriend Jacob Busch.
The actress has openly gushed about her new beau but has made it clear that they started
dating before she slimmed down.
“Goes to show you ladies, you don’t have to be a certain size to get a boyfriend.”
Jacob Busch’s family founded the Anheuser-Busch brewing dynasty and is alone reportedly worth
100 million dollars. The couple was introduced by a friend in 2019 and hit it off immediately
and are still going strong a year later. A source has said that they have been motivating
each other with their health journey. Although it’s evident that the journey was a lot
more directed towards Rebel.
Fans questioned the relationship in the beginning since Busch is still in his twenties while
Rebel just turned forty. They wondered if Busch might only be in it for the sake of
fame. But they quickly let go of this notion as they noticed Busch is quite a private guy,
who doesn’t really care about how many instagram followers he has. And on top of it all he
has stood by his leading lady throughout her whole journey.
Wilson wasn’t the only celebrity that went on a health journey. By now we all know the
drastic weight loss that Adele went through earlier this year. But why did Adele receive
so much hate, while Rebel was praised? Was it because she said she was doing it to better
her mental health and for herself? Whereas many felt like Adele followed the societal
norms of a breakup and changed her appearance in a “revenge body” type of way instead
of just for her own health. This came after she told the world she would never want to
be skinny, making some feel betrayed by her weight loss move. What do you think about
Rebel and Adele’s weight loss?
It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies for Rebel’s journey.There were even a handful of people
who were not on board for her transformation. The actress explained on Instagram that "Industry-wise,
there were a lot of people who wanted me to stay as Fat Amy," referring to her character
in the movie franchise, Pitch Perfect.
Do they have a point? Rebel became famous not only for her blunt and brilliant comedic
style but also for her unique plus size look. At times she would even gain weight for a
role thinking it would add a better comedic element to her character. Some even think
that the weight loss could seriously affect her career having lost the element that casting
directors saw in her when she first came to Hollywood.
Although Rebel decided when she came to Hollywood that she was going to play the plus size funny
girl, it might have just become a bit too much. Wilson said on Instagram that she got
really tired of being typecast and has admitted that it was part of the reason she wanted
to go on this journey.
Along with shedding her weight, it appears that Wilson has also completely changed her
approach as to how she presents herself in public and on social media. In recent interviews,
she is kind of different, not hitting the audience with that iconic sense of humor that
the world has known to love.
At the beginning of the year, Rebel made headlines for her hilarious yet somewhat controversial
speech at the BAFTA’s. Looking back now, some could say that it was her way of giving
the world one last taste of how she used to be and the work she used to do. Is this how
the actress is going to go about becoming a serious and dramatic actor? If so the question
is will it work? Do people want to see Fat Amy, or what the new Rebel Wilson has in store?
Let us know what you think in the comments down below.