Rebel Wilson memoir published with redacted allegations
Source: Instagram
Rebel Wilson’s headline-making memoir has been published in Britain with allegations about actor Sacha Baron Cohen redacted for legal reasons.
The publication comes amid continued questions about the delayed release of Wilson’s book in Australia, and her cancellation of a promotional speaking tour.
The book Rebel Rising, which has already been published in the US, features a chapter entitled “Sacha Baron Cohen and Other Assholes”.
In it, Wilson makes claims about Baron Cohen’s behaviour during the filming of their 2016 comedy Grimsby, which he has strongly denied.
After the allegations were detailed in the US version of the book, Baron Cohen’s spokesperson said: “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.”
The British version includes a reference to “the worst experience of my professional life. An incident that left me feeling bullied, humiliated and compromised.
“It can’t be printed here due to the peculiarities of the law in England and Wales.”
The rest of the page is redacted, with black lines also removing shorter details elsewhere in the chapter.
The Australian Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids star said her aim was not to cancel Baron Cohen with her recollections, but to retell an experience that made her feel “completely disrespected, which led to me treating myself with even more disrespect by eating in an extremely unhealthy way”.
In British book, Wilson says she “rues the day” she met Baron Cohen, who she describes as her “idol”.
She describes how they met at a dinner party hosted by Little Britain star Matt Lucas. A year later he offered her a role in Grimsby, which was released in North America as The Brothers Grimsby.
Wilson played Dawn, the wife of Baron Cohen’s character Nobby, a football fan who gets drawn into the world of his secret agent brother.
Wilson will discuss her book on a British tour later this month, with appearances in Edinburgh, Manchester and London. But a similar Australian tour was abruptly cancelled last week due, Wilson said, to her “work schedule”.
“I’m really excited for UK and Australian readers to finally get to read Rebel Rising,” she wrote in an Instagram story last Thursday.
“New UK publishing date is 25 Apr and in Aus it’s 8 May.
“This is my full story – from my childhood to the birth of my beautiful daughter. I hope you enjoy it!
“Unfortunately, I now won’t be able to do the in-person book events in Australia due to my changing work schedule.”
Rebel Rising was initially slated for publication in Australia on April 3. It was delayed amid the fallout from the Baron Cohen claims.
She had been due to visit Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as part of the promotional tour.
Representatives for Baron Cohen and publisher Harper Collins have been contacted for comment.
-with AAP