Unlike the Neighbours/Home and Away route to Hollywood taken by Guy Pearce, Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Isla Fisher and Margot Robbie, Rebel Wilson started her career in Australian comedy series Pizza and spinoff film Fat Pizza, comedy sketch show The Wedge and musical comedy series Bogan Pride. It’s no wonder, perhaps, she went on to a career playing quirky characters in quirky comedies. She was a bridesmaid in 2011’s Bridesmaids, the bride-to-be in 2012’s Bachelorette, and an eccentric employee at a breastfeeding boutique in What to Expect When You’re Expecting from the same year. She starred alongside Anne Hathaway in The Hustle, the female-centred remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. She was the ginger tabby cat Jennyanydots in 2019’s ill-fated Cats, and played Fat Amy in all three (so far) Pitch Perfect movies.
Wilson now stars as Lady Capulet in the forthcoming Shakespeare-inspired musical Juliet & Romeo, the very title of which would have your old English teacher tutting with disapproval. Rupert Everett stars as Lord Capulet, Derek Jacobi as the Friar, and Jason Isaacs as Lord Montague.
This turn to (relatively) highbrow material shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise. Wilson originally studied to be a lawyer and moved to the US after winning an acting scholarship funded by Nicole Kidman, and had Matt Lucas as a Hollywood flatmate. She’s presented the MTV movie awards, launched her own plus-sized clothing range, and won $250,000 for charity on the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Wilson has said she decided to become an actor after catching malaria and hallucinating that she had won an Oscar.
So: did Prince William find her royal jokes funny that time she presented at the Baftas? And did she really snog Elton John at an Oscars after-party? Only you can ask. Please get your questions in by 6pm BST on Monday 2 June and we’ll print her most Rebel-ious answers in Film&Music later in the month.
• Juliet & Romeo is in UK cinemas from 11 June.
