Rebel Wilson is opening up about being sexually harassed by a former co-star who threatened to destroy her career.
Speaking with People, the 42-year-old shared that the incident took place several years ago. The unnamed actor called her into a room then pulled down his pants and, in front of his friends, asked her to perform lewd acts, Wilson recalled.
"It was awful and disgusting," she said. "And all the behavior afterwards — this was all before #MeToo — where they kind of tried to destroy me and my career. If it had happened after #MeToo, then I could have just blasted them."
Wilson happens to have studied law and, having obtained her degree from the University of New South Wales, put this to good use.
"Because I'm a lawyer, I documented it," she said. "I called my rep. I got certain things in writing about what happened."
Wilson explained that she made sure people knew about what had happened, especially "amongst industry circles." However, it is still something she grapples with.
"Why did I stay in that situation … with that awful guy?" she wondered. "I should have left. It wasn't worth it. But at the same time, I was like, 'Oh well, do the right thing, be a professional and finish the movie.' Now I would never do that."
Wilson admitted she felt like it was a big step just complaining to her agency and the studio. But then she learned that she was not the first person to have come forth with complaints about the actor.
"Such gross behavior, but a lot of women have had it way worse," she said.
"If it happened again, I would probably stand up for myself even more just because of the bravery of the other women that have stood up and now allowed me an opportunity," she added.
This is not the first time Wilson has spoken out about the incident. In 2017 she fired off a series of tweets recounting what had happened.
"A male star, in a position of power asked me to go into a room with him and then asked me repeatedly to stick my finger up his a--. All whilst his male 'friends' tried to film the incident on their iPhones and laughed. I repeatedly said no and eventually got out of the room," she wrote.
After calling her agent, Wilson said she was threatened by one of the actor's representatives, telling her to "be nice and support the male star."
I refused. The whole thing was disgusting," she wrote. "I've told hundreds of people in the industry the story in more graphic detail basically to warn them off this individual."
Wilson noted how "saddening" it was to hear of how prevalent sexual harassment and assault are.
"I know my stories aren't as horrific as other women and men have described — but if you've ever experienced anything like this I feel for you and can relate on some level," she wrote.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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