Rebel Wilson claims she was snubbed for role because Melissa McCarthy was ‘friends’ with director
Rebel Wilson claims she was snubbed for a huge role in favour of Melissa McCarthy because the well-known star was “friends” with the director.
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Rebel Wilson has claimed she was snubbed a role in favour of Melissa McCarthy because the latter was “friends” with the filmmakers.
The Australian actress, who is hot on the publicity trail for her bombshell memoir Rebel Rising, said she originally auditioned for McCarthy’s scene-stealing character Megan in the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, but claimed she never stood a chance due to the US actress’ friendship with director Paul Feig.
Speaking on stage at the London Palladium on Monday, local time, Wilson – who also appeared in Bridesmaids in a much smaller role – said, “So I actually auditioned for the Melissa McCarthy role and they were always going to give it to Melissa because she was their friend,” according to The Mirror.
Wilson ultimately landed the small part of Brynn in the film – who was the oddball sister of UK comedian Matt Lucas’ character Gil.
While her small but memorable appearance in Bridesmaids helped her forge a career in Hollywood, with Wilson going on to land the role of Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect a few months later, the star said she was disappointed not to be given a bigger part.
“So I come in [for my audition] and start improvising and it went on for an hour. You know an audition is good when it goes in for an hour,” Wilson said.
“I got the call and they said ‘You got the part!’ And I went, ‘What, the role?!’ And they went ‘Not that role. You really look like Matt Lucas. He’s this British comedian and he’s already been cast in the film so we’re just going to add you in as his sister.’
“So I’m like, ‘Alright!’ I was like, ‘I guess it’s OK, but I really wanted the Melissa McCarthy role’. They were like ‘You’ve been cast in a Hollywood film’ and I was like ‘Yeah, but I don’t really have a role.’”
Wilson’s flurry of revelations in her book, which went on sale in April, have seen the Aussie star hit global headlines over the past few weeks, from her sordid allegations against UK actor Sacha Baron Cohen, to claims a British royal family member once invited her to an orgy.
Australian and New Zealand versions of the book were initially held from shelves due to a legal battle regarding the chapter about Baron Cohen, which was resolved in late April.
HarperCollins Australia confirmed that “for legal reasons we have redacted one chapter in the Australian/New Zealand edition and included an explanatory note accordingly. That chapter is a very small part of a much bigger story and we’re excited for readers to know Rebel’s story when the book is released, on Wednesday 8 May.”
The chapter, titled “Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A**holes”, will be printed entirely as blacked out lines, making the Australian edition of Rebel Rising the most redacted version of the book in the world. Differences in defamation law around the world have determined how much of the chapter can be included.
Wilson also pulled the pin on her local book tour, citing her “changing work schedule.”
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