Sydney (AFP) – Australian film star Rebel Wilson dismissed as “nonsense” claims she had bullied women on the set of her directorial debut film “The Deb,” as she gave evidence in a Sydney court on Tuesday. Wilson — star of Hollywood hits including “Bridesmaids” and “Pitch Perfect” — is accused of defamation by actress Charlotte MacInnes.
The claims centre around Instagram posts and comments by Wilson suggesting MacInnes changed an account of having been a victim of sexual harassment in order to advance her career. The federal court case focuses on an incident where MacInnes and Amanda Ghost, a producer of “The Deb,” shared a bath in an apartment after swimming at Bondi Beach.
“It felt like she was making a sexual harassment complaint to me,” Wilson told the court on Tuesday according to Australian national broadcaster ABC, referring to communication she had with MacInnes. An affidavit from Ghost tendered in court on Tuesday described how she and MacInnes had swum at the beach in the early evening of September 2023, returning to her apartment feeling cold. The pair got into a hot bath while wearing swimming costumes to warm up, it said.
“It was an oversized bath, with plenty of room for two people to sit without touching (and we didn’t touch),” Ghost said in the statement tendered to court. Two days later, Wilson phoned Ghost to say MacInnes had felt uncomfortable about the bath. MacInnes has denied telling Wilson that and has told the court Wilson had shamed her to 11 million followers on Instagram.
Wilson on Tuesday denied she mistreated women while making “The Deb,” saying this was “nonsense.” She told the court she had made truthful statements about MacInnes and Ghost.
© 2024 AFP
