About five years ago, when she was 39, actress Rebel Wilson had just racked up a string of hits, having earned $20 million for her roles in “Pitch Perfect 3,” “Isn’t It Romantic?” and “Masters of Deception.” But a visit to a fertility doctor had filled her with doubts.
Her weight—which was over 100 kilograms at the time—could make it difficult to retrieve viable eggs, the doctor said. After the date, he called her talent agent and told her that he planned to improve her health.
His agent was not thrilled. “The agency liked that I was fat because they received hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions for every movie in which I played the fat, funny girl,” she writes in his new memoir, “Rebel Rising.” She was worried that losing weight would jeopardize her “billion dollar bankroll.”
Wilson writes with disarming candor. Raised in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, as the eldest of four children, she had an unconventional childhood: her family bred show beagles and Wilson had her first taste of show business as a dog trainer when she was 8 years old. .
Wilson was rejected five times by Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Arts and auditioned for nearly 30 roles in Hollywood before being cast in the 2011 comedy “Ladies War,” a performance that launched her film career.
“Rebel Rising” contains personal revelations. Wilson writes about losing his virginity at age 35. He details his secret relationship with a professional tennis player, her experience falling in love with his fiancée, fashion entrepreneur Ramona Agruma, and having a baby with a surrogate mother.
In a recent interview, Wilson spoke about how her weight loss has affected her career and public image.
In the first chapter, you write about your fear that losing weight would hurt your career. Have you experienced any negative repercussions?
There were some people who were like, oh, we don’t think she’s funny anymore or now she’s lost me as a fan because I can’t relate to her anymore. But I think if you read the book you will understand my journey with weight and health.
What are you most worried about making public?
The part about losing your virginity at 35. That was something that absolutely no one knew. And I thought, should I put it in the book? But then I thought, maybe there are other late bloomers who could find solace in that fact.
You describe your romantic relationship with a professional tennis player. Were you worried that you might out that person?
I don’t think anyone will ever guess. And I don’t want my memories to violate his privacy.
You describe how you were able to negotiate $10 million for “Pitch Perfect 3” after learning that the studio conducted a market research survey that showed how much people loved your character, “Fat Amy.”
Universal Studios is awesome, but did they make tons of money from the “Pitch Perfect” movies? Yes. So even though I absolutely adore all those people at Universal, did I use that influence to my advantage? Yeah.
You also write about a strange experience that inspired you when you lived in South Africa and contracted malaria.
It was a complete hallucination that I was an actress and had won an Academy Award. It changed the entire trajectory of my life. When some people said, “But how did you move on?” or “You always seemed to believe in yourself,” I would respond, “Because I saw it happen.”
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