Rebel Wilson Called a “Bully” and Other Names In Smear Campaign Case
Instead of celebrating her recent movie’s launch, Rebel Wilson is facing defamation claims filed by her lead actress, Charlotte MacInnes. Wilson, who debuted as a director with her film The Deb, was described as a “bully” among other names in the court battle.
During the trial at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney, MacInnes’ lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, accused Wilson of being “enraged” when the film’s writer, Hannah Reilly, refused to give the director co-writing credits. The attorney cited an email angrily sent by Wilson to Reilly’s agent. This is just one of the scenarios highlighted by Chrysanthou on the first day of the trial against Wilson.
The director was also condemned by Chrysanthou for presenting herself as a whistleblower acting in the best interests of MacInnes, a young star in the industry. MacInnes, on her part, believes that she suffered reputational damage as a result of Wilson’s claims.
The director’s fallout with The Deb producers
Things fell apart between Wilson and her producers, Vince Holden and Gregor Cameron. The director accused Holden and Cameron of taking $900,000 from The Deb.
After the messy fallout, Rebel Wilson made a series of Instagram posts alleging that MacInnes approached her about unwanted sexual advances from Ghost. Wilson also made the claim that MacInnes withdrew her complaints after Ghost offered her another opportunity.
The posts can no longer be found. But Wilson’s legal statement reads, “As producers, Ghost and Cameron leveraged their power and influence to both steal from the Film’s budget and manipulate a ”casting couch” situation by forcing a young lead actress to stay with them in their apartment and comply with their depraved sexual demands.”
But what is the unwanted sexual advance that Wilson is talking about?
The sexual advance that Wilson is referring to is an event where Ghost and MacInnes took a bath together with swimsuits on. Chrysanthou argued that this happened because Ghost experienced a cold urticaria. With her skin breaking out in hives, MacInnes helped Ghost warm up at the shower.
Wilson accused of hiring a dubious PR firm
Earlier in March, a leaked audio recording from a PR team allegedly hired by Wilson went viral on the internet. The Agency Group, the PR team in question, intended to smear her producer for The Deb. They were supposedly hired by Wilson after the fallout.
“We need to create a path where we expose Amanda Ghost as, like, the new Heidi Fleiss,” a segment of the recording said. The audio continued to say that the campaign shouldn’t settle for name-calling Ghost.
They add, “It’s, like, it’s got to be really, really heavy and connected to something that heavy.” In short, the goal was to make it appear as though Ghost is a prolific sex trafficker. Fleiss, who was referenced in the audio, was infamously known as the Hollywood Madam. She ran a high-end prostitution ring that catered to Hollywood A-listers.
The PR firm’s leaked audio appears consistent with Wilson’s allegation. If there is any truth to it, it would be damning on Wilson’s end. But on an interesting note, The Agency Group has worked with Justin Baldoni and Johnny Depp, connecting the PR firm to the serious smear campaigns surrounding Blake Lively and Amber Heard.
Nevertheless, MacInnes is disputing Wilson’s statements, and the court case is expected to be lengthy.
(featured image: 60 Minutes Australia)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
