Ever since Rebel Wilson broke out in the 2011 hit "Bridesmaids," the actor has been taking
over Hollywood on both the big screen and the small screen.
And fans want to know more.
Here's a look at what you never knew about Rebel Wilson.
With a name like Rebel Wilson, many fans would assume it's just a stage name — but it's
really not.
In fact, the actor was given the nickname in honor of the girl who performed at her
parents' wedding.
Although her mother was in love with the name, it posed a big problem a few years later.
When Wilson's parents were signing her up to attend a Christian school, they realized
the name might be a problem.
Wilson said on her podcast "Ant Middleton & Rebel Wilson: Straight Talking" that as
a result, she was forced to go by Mel or Melanie at school until she graduated.
Most actors have dreamed their entire lives of one day being in show business.
Yet, Rebel Wilson had her sights set on something entirely different at first — becoming a
lawyer.
She even got accepted into the top-rated law school in Australia.
Yet, it was during her second year studying law that she started booking acting roles.
After appearing on Australian TV, the people in her class began to recognize her during
exams.
Many even asked her why she hadn't dropped out of school yet to continue her path into
stardom.
She told James Corden,
"It took me so long to get into law school.
You have to study really hard, so I thought I may as well finish it even though I was
already kind of famous."
Her law degree has since come in handy when handling her own movie contracts.
And when her film "The Hustle" was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association
of America in 2019, she didn't think it deserved such a harsh review.
So she told Graham Norton that she took the MPAA to arbitration.
"The jury deliberated for less than five minutes and declared me the winner."
Wilson may have portrayed a feline in "Cats," but she was born and bred in a dog family.
When she was growing up, her parents traveled all over the country as professional dog showers.
Her great-grandmother was even the one who founded the official Beagle Club of Australia.
Wilson told Kelly Clarkson,
"My mom was devastated when I didn't continue the family legacy of being a dog shower."
However, when Wilson got offered a hosting gig on a TV show about dog competitions, she
truly thought it was meant to be, so in 2020 she debuted as the host of "Pooch Perfect".
She said,
"It's not like any reality show I was going to go on.
I had to do this one."
But she says she will never own dogs herself for one ironic reason: she's actually allergic
to them!
Everybody began recognizing Rebel Wilson's name after her breakout role in "Bridesmaids,"
but she actually starred in an American film long before that.
She played Girl in Alley in the Nicolas Cage-led "Ghost Rider" film in 2007.
Though she only appears in a single scene, her character definitely makes her mark on
the big screen.
There, she's hilarious as she explains to a local news reporter that she had seen Cage's
character's hair on fire.
"On fire?"
"Yeah, like whoooosh like that much fire?"
Making the film was an interesting experience.
She told Conan O'Brien,
"It was that classic thing where I went on set and someone told me, 'Whatever you do,
don't look at Nicolas Cage in the eye.
Do not talk to him.'"
Yet, during their first interaction, she decided to compliment his hair, which she instantly
found out was actually a wig upon touching it.
It's hard to believe now, but Rebel Wilson wasn't always the outgoing, hilarious star
we see on screen today.
She didn't have many friends and instead kept her head buried in her books.
She told Lorraine Kelly,
"I was a super shy girl."
To get her to open up, her mother decided to sign her up for a local drama class — but
Wilson was not at all interested.
She explained on the podcast "The Producer's Guide: Todd Garner & Hollywood's Elite,"
"I held onto the car door and would not go, and she literally physically dragged me into
this place.
It was so embarrassing."
Once Wilson was inside, she remembers pretending to be anyone but herself.
She even started talking in an American accent to avoid having to open up to the people around
her.
However, after a few classes, she slowly fell in love with acting, as it provided a way
to express herself safely through her characters.
In 2015, Rebel Wilson was able to add yet another thing to her long list of accomplishments
when she became a fashion designer.
That year, she partnered with Torrid to design special pieces to be sold in their stores.
She must have loved it because she went on to design an entire collection for her own
clothing line two years later.
She told “People,”
"Without knowing when and if the brand might be released, I designed pieces specifically
to wear in 'Pitch Perfect 3' with the hope that I'd be able to sell these when the movie
came out.
I know there's a lot of plus size girls and women out there who love my character, and
I wanted them to have the opportunity to look like her."
It was a hit: shortly after the premiere of "Pitch Perfect 3," her collection called Rebel
Wilson x Angels was released.
Talk about life imitating art.
In 2011, Wilson had her breakout role as one of Kristen Wiig's two obnoxious roommates.
The other roommate was played by actor Matt Lucas.
The two of them hit it off so well that they actually decided to move in together, and
ended up living together for three years.
She told Conan O'Brien,
"Because we played roommates so well in 'Bridesmaids,' we thought, 'Yeah, we'll do it for real."
The two had a house in West Hollywood where they bonded over their love of Broadway musicals.
They would spend a lot of their time singing around the neighborhood, which ended when
a neighbor left them a letter saying if they didn't stop singing, the police would be summoned.
Whoops!
Before heading to college and becoming an Australian TV star, Wilson moved to South
Africa as a Youth Ambassador for Australia.
Yet, even while she was focused on her volunteer work, it was there that she began thinking
more about acting — and her life completely changed course in more ways than one.
She said on "Conan," quote, "I got malaria really badly.
Almost died."
The disease, which begins after being bitten by an infected mosquito, can cause fever,
chills, and even hallucinations.
While on bedrest, Wilson was having all sorts of strange visions that got her thinking about
her future.
"I had this hallucination that I was an actress, and I won an Oscar.
And I thought, 'Hmm.
I should go back to Australia and try to be an actress.'"
Crazy enough, that's how her start in show business really began.
When Rebel Wilson was in college, she noticed herself gaining weight at an alarming rate.
Yet, she wasn't doing anything differently when it came to her lifestyle.
It was then that she spoke to a doctor and was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome,
or PCOS.
The disorder directly affects hormones in the body that can cause infertility and weight
gain among other symptoms.
Wilson said in an Instagram video,
"I can kind of tell when people have it usually by their body type.
They normally have a similar body type to me and how they carry their weight."
It was her body weight that brought her into the world of comedy, too.
She told “InStyle'' that she originally did all dramatic roles, but that changed once
she gained weight.
"[...] being a bigger girl, I was like, comedy is kind of a good sell when you're bigger
and can do it well.
So I went down that path."
Wilson has always had an interest in martial arts.
Over the course of her childhood, the actor became super skilled with a set of nunchucks.
When producers found this out, they were impressed, and added a whole big fight scene to "Pitch
Perfect 3."
"She said on "Lorraine,"
"I get to do my nunchucks, and I get to fight like 10 men at once, which was incredible,
and I was really proud of those things."
Throughout her childhood, Wilson was entered into various karate competitions, one of which
she was even awarded a gold medal, she revealed on “LOL Network”.
Though she didn't have a black belt, she told Lorraine Kelly,
"I've always felt like I have ninja abilities inside of me.”
In May 2015, the Australian magazine publisher Bauer Media Group published a slew of articles
claiming that the actor had been lying to the public about her age, where she grew up,
and much of her life story.
Wilson told “7News Spotlight,”
"For someone like me who prides herself in being very candid and authentic, it was just
probably the most devastating thing they could have said to me."
Wilson said that she tried to just ignore it, but was shocked when she was abruptly
fired from both "Kung Fu Panda 3" and "Trolls" after she had already finished doing voicework
for the films.
Producers decided to replace her, apparently in reaction to the rumors.
Wilson said,
"I got fired from two family movies that I had already completed, which was probably,
like, my lowest point."
Wilson decided to fight back, and sued Bauer Media Group.
A jury found in her favor, and after a series of appeals, Bauer was ultimately forced to
pay 600,000 Australian dollars.
After "Pitch Perfect" hit theaters, movie musicals quickly began to become Rebel Wilson's
thing.
In 2017, she was cast in yet another comedic one called "Isn't It Romantic."
Ironically, while playing a character who suffers from a concussion, she actually ended
up getting a concussion.
As she was walking to a rehearsal one day, the actor accidentally slipped down a grassy
hill.
She told “People,”
"I got a concussion and was rushed to the hospital for three hours.
I thought, how ironic, not from doing one of the crazy stunts, but from the grass having
a bit of dew on it."
After her trip to the hospital, though, Wilson returned to set and completed a 16-hour work
day.
Many people choose to lose weight as their New Year's resolution, but Rebel Wilson made
it her reality in 2020.
That year, she surprised fans by dropping more than 60 pounds for a special reason.
She said in an Instagram live,
"At first, it wasn't even really [about] myself.
It was more thinking of a future mini me, really."
Wilson has always wanted to be a mother.
During a meeting with her doctor shortly before turning 40, she expressed how she was interested
in freezing her eggs.
She said,
"And the doctor was like, 'Well, you'll have a much better chance if you were healthier.'
So I was like, 'Okay, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to get healthy."
And she brought her followers along throughout her entire weight loss journey.
Way to go Rebel!
Every star seems to have the most amazing accessories on the red carpet.
Yet, there's always been something missing from Rebel Wilson's outfit — a pair of earrings.
Wilson revealed to “InStyle,”
"I actually don't even have my ears pierced!"
Though the actor always looks amazing at whatever event she's at, she's actually not a big fan
of jewelry in general, telling “People,”
"You'll notice on red carpets I'll usually wear zero jewelry."
But while expensive jewelry may not be important to this movie star, there is one accessory
she keeps close to her heart.
In 2021, director Paul Feig sent her an engraved ring for the anniversary of her breakout film
"Bridesmaids," which she showed off on Instagram.
The massive sparkler looks very much like one an athlete would win at the Super Bowl
— and let's be real here.
With a life like Wilson's had, we wouldn't be surprised if she took over the football
field next.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.