An Australian journalist has defended her magazine's claims about Rebel Wilson's background, the Guardian reports.
The Pitch Perfect actress is suing magazine publisher Bauer Media for defamation, charging that articles about her portrayed her as a liar and hurt her career. Woman's Day and other Bauer publications in her native Australia published claims in 2015 that Wilson had lied about her age and her real name. The star denies lying about her background, and has testified that she only deflected questions about her age.
According to reporter Caroline Overington, who testified in Victoria's supreme court today, Wilson confirmed her age to be 29 when she interviewed her for Australian Women's Weekly in 2014. Wilson is 37, so would have been in her mid-30s at the time.
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Overington alleged that Wilson also confirmed that Rebel was her "real name," sharing a story about how her mother came up with the name. She was born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, however, though did have the name legally changed to Rebel Elizabeth Melanie Wilson.
Wilson reportedly denied having the conversation with Overington, but a hairdresser testified today that he witnessed her speaking to a woman before her shoot. He could not confirm is Overington was the woman he saw.
Wilson's agent, Sharon Jackson, also testified in court this week about the impact the Bauer articles had on her client's career.
Jackson said she was "surprised" when Wilson wasn't flooded with offers after the success of the Pitch Perfect films, according to The Australian.
“[Rebel] is the heart of the movie," she testified. "I would attribute all the success to her.
“I was excited," she added. "I thought that her performance in Pitch 2 was fantastic. I just assumed and believed that she would be pursued aggressively in lead roles.”
The trial continues.
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