Rebel Wilson is opening up about facing a slew of lawsuits and allegations surrounding her directorial debut The Deb.
While appearing on 60 Minutes Australia, the actress reflected on how the ordeal has been like a “worst nightmare.”
“It came out of left field these issues and yeah it was horrible to deal with and I had to try to navigate it professionally,” she said.
60 Minutes Australia had visited the set of The Deb at the time it was filming. An adaptation of an Australian stage play of the same name, Wilson’s directorial debut follows a city girl who moves to the outback and helps her cousin become a debutante.
After noting that everything seemed to be running smoothly, Wilson was asked “what went wrong” to which Wilson alleged that the day prior to their set visit, she and local producers were “locked in a room” and “forced to sign documents.”
Wilson alleges that the drama “stemmed from the U.K. producers on the film” and that she was “the target of incessant bullying and harassment” because she had spoken out about the “behavior” of the U.K. producers.
Last year, Wilson said that she had reported the producers when she “found out not minor things, big things” related to “inappropriate behavior towards the lead actress of the film,” Charlotte MacInnes, and theft of movie funds. Wilson posted a video to Instagram last summer accusing producers Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron and Vince Holden of embezzlement and sexual harassment.
“I felt, in my position as director, I had to report that and the moment I did started all the kind of retaliation against me,” Wilson said. The actress recalled MacInnes telling her that producer Amanda Ghost made her feel “uncomfortable” after asking her to have a “bath and shower” with her after Ghost had a “medical reaction” to the cold water while filming at Bondi Beach.
However, MacInnes has denied that account and is suing Wilson for defamation.
“All I can say is she came to me, she made what I obviously inferred as a sexual harassment complaint and I had a duty to then act on it,” Wilson said. She also explained that despite texting Ghost that MacInnes clarified that it was a “bizarre situation” and that it didn’t make her uncomfortable, Wilson was trying to “maintain professional communication” with Ghost, especially given the producer was “access to money for the film.”
“But at the same time, I’m feeling very uneasy,” Wilson added.
Wilson also alleges that the U.K. producers tried to siphon nearly a million dollars from the film’s budget and wouldn’t let the film premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Wilson said their argument that they couldn’t release the film because of their ongoing issues with her is “absolute rubbish” and was because “they knew it would be good for me as a first-time female director to have that profile and they blocked it as part of their retaliation against me speaking up against them.”
At the time, Wilson had shared these thoughts on her social media saying that she saw that as her “standing up for my movie and the hard work that everybody put into it for years.”
The producers eventually released the film so it could be shown at TIFF. However, they, in turn, sued for defamation, saying that Wilson lied in a maneuver to release The Deb at the coveted closing spot of the TIFF and secure a writing credit. The actress later filed a countersuit doubling down on accusations of theft and sexual misconduct.
After a series of websites painted Ghost as a “sex trafficker,” Wilson said she had “zero to do with the websites.”
“I don’t even know how to create a website. I had nothing to do with what was on it,” Wilson argued. When further questioned about the allegations that she pointed her followers to the websites, posted on The Deb instagram and made sure Ghost’s associates were made aware of them, Wilson said, “I don’t have any memory of doing that, no.”
“It’s wild it’s gotten to this point,” Wilson said of the ongoing allegations. “I think it’s a ridiculous waste of the Australian legal system.”
When speaking further on MacInnes, Wilson reiterated that she didn’t initially identify MacInnes by name and the actress chose to make statements and identify herself. Wilson also responded to her post alleging that the actress changed her story to help further her career, noting that the actress was given the lead role in another production and has a record label all from the producer of The Deb.
“I believe her only work since The Deb was a role in a stage show that Amanda Ghost produced,” Wilson explained. Despite believing she’s “talented,” Wilson argues that “it’s undeniable the benefits she has received since finishing filming the film.”
“This is a situation where I was a whistleblower. I stood up when it was important to stand up and say something,” Wilson said.
Rialto Distribution has acquired the rights for The Deb in Australia and New Zealand, with plans for a wide theatrical release in January.
