By Adelaide Lang
A blockbuster court battle between Rebel Wilson and the star of her directorial debut has spanned years and continents with one common thread: accusations of greed.
The Pitch Perfect star has swapped staged drama for the real-world kind in the Federal Court as she fights allegations she is a bully who attacked her young co-star online.
She is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in the musical comedy The Deb, which Wilson directed, co-produced and starred in.
MacInnes claims she was defamed by the older actor in social media posts that suggested she is a liar and a sellout who withdrew a sexual harassment complaint to advance her career.
The posts alleged the rising star confided to Wilson – and later recanted – that she felt uncomfortable when the film’s co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together.
MacInnes denies making or retracting a complaint, insisting she was not uncomfortable when the pair shared a bath in their swimwear after Ms Ghost suffered a medical episode in September 2023.
The heated court battle has been rife with Hollywood name drops and subplots, including a nude photo leak, shadowy smear websites, and an “I Hate Amanda Ghost fan club”.
But at its core, it boils down to accusations of greed and self-serving behaviour that Wilson and MacInnes have levelled at each other.
The Bridesmaids star claims MacInnes had withdrawn her sexual harassment complaint in exchange for “huge enticements” linked to Ms Ghost, including a lead role and a six-figure record deal.
“She’s changed her story, she’s flip-flopped and she’s been given huge benefits,” Wilson told the court.
Wilson said she had seen many photos of the young actor on international trips and in expensive hotels, some of which had been sent to her by the “I hate Amanda Ghost fan club”.
But while MacInnes acknowledged Ms Ghost had been instrumental in her career, she maintained she has worked extremely hard to achieve her dreams.
MacInnes’ lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC accused Wilson of fabricating the sexual harassment complaint and raising it for her own benefit rather than out of concern for the young actor.
Wilson phoned MacInnes the day after the alleged complaint and reported back to Ms Ghost that “Charlotte says all good” and the actor had “zero issues”.
But Wilson said she had lingering concerns and a sense of unease about the alleged complaint that prompted her to raise it with others, including Ms Ghost’s husband.
Wilson had been embroiled in a bitter battle to be credited as a writer on The Deb as well as a budget dispute with her co-producers at the time, Ms Chrysanthou noted.
The first-time director accepted that one of the social media posts had been a reaction to MacInnes’ support of the co-producers in separate litigation in the US, which she believes blocked the release of The Deb.
“Charlotte felt that she was being used as a pawn in some bigger dispute about money between other people,” the young actor’s mother wrote in an affidavit tendered to the court.
Wilson took out defamation insurance after learning she would not be given writing credit for the film so she could “go ballistic on social media”, Ms Chrysanthou told the court.
She argued Wilson falsely portrayed herself as a whistleblower who spoke up to protect MacInnes when she was actually using the alleged complaint as leverage in these disputes.
“I was angry that Rebel claims to be someone who stands up for women … but then was so maliciously and unfairly persisting with a narrative that painted me as a liar, prostitute, sell-out, and whore,” MacInnes wrote in a sworn statement.
But Wilson rejected accusations that she had bullied the young actor, telling the court she was a “truth-teller” and has been a champion of women throughout her 25 year career.
“I received no benefit from this experience that led to a court case,” she testified.
“All I have done is told the truth at significant cost to myself.”
MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages for the harm caused by the social media posts which she says have created doubts about her trustworthiness and made her feel unsafe in the industry.
But Wilson claims she has not suffered any harm to her career at all since the posts.
As the saying goes, there’s no business like show business.
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