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Rebel Wilson says she was sacked from two films after ‘defamatory’ articles

The actress is suing Bauer Media, the publisher of Women's Day, for defamation in Melbourne's Supreme Court.

The actress is suing Bauer Media, the publisher of Women's Day, for defamation in Melbourne's Supreme Court. Photo: Getty

Rebel Wilson was sacked from two DreamWorks feature films and had to beg film studios to allow her to work for free after a series of magazine articles claimed she had lied about her background, the actress has told a Melbourne court.

Wilson became upset as she gave evidence for a third day in her defamation trial, telling the jury she decided to sue the publisher of Woman’s Day to save other Australian celebrities from being targeted by the magazine.

“After month after month that all of a sudden doors that used to be open were shut and I basically had to beg to get back in the door … it became apparent that … [the articles] did a tremendous amount of damage,” she said.

“Even though it’s going to be harrowing to come into the court … I felt like I have to … I’m the one to do it.

“I have enough money, I have the courage to come and do it and this magazine company gets away with so much and not everyone has the strength to stand up for themselves.”

The 37-year-old actress and comedian is suing Bauer Media over a series of articles published in Woman’s Day, OK! Magazine, New Weekly and Women’s Weekly in 2015, which she said depicted her as a serial liar.

Wilson told the jury that two months after the articles were published she was sacked from the DreamWorks feature film Kung Fu Panda 3, which was just months away from being released.

“I was called in in July 2015 … and I’d already finished the whole movie … and I believed I was just coming in to do a few additional lines,” she told the court.

Wilson said the chief executive of DreamWorks, Jeffrey Katzenberg, bluntly told her “unfortunately you’re just now too divisive to be in this movie, it’s a family movie”.

“I was just absolutely shocked and blindsided … I didn’t even know what to say, I was just extremely embarrassed,” she said.

“The director and producers had said they’d loved my improvisation so much that it reminded them of when Robin Williams recorded.

“I believe Mr Katzenberg was referring to the negative press — that’s the only thing I can think of.”

Actress Kate Hudson replaced Wilson in the movie after she had already appeared in one of the earlier trailers.

Rebel Wilson offered to ‘work for free’

The Australian actress told the court she was also sacked from another DreamWorks film Trolls, which she had also finished recording for.

“Unfortunately in the rest of 2015 and 2016 I didn’t do any lead roles or co-lead roles in movies or television,” Wilson told the court.

Since May 2015 when the articles were published, Wilson has had a cameo role in the Absolutely Fabulous movie and played a lead in the stage production of Guys and Dolls.

She has also finished filming Pitch Perfect 3, which is due to be released at the end of the year.

But Wilson told the jury with no offers of work, she has been trying to pitch her own movies to major studios on the proviso she would work for free until the films got the green light.

She said she is hoping to get the go-ahead to remake the classic comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with two female characters in the lead roles.

“They took those two years away from me doing what I love, which is entertaining people and making people laugh,” she said.

“They’re not going to end my career because I’m so hardworking … I know that I can get back on track and that I will.”

Wilson is continuing to give evidence in the trial before Justice John Dixon.

Bauer Media denies the articles were defamatory.

– ABC

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