Rebel Wilson devastated by magazine articles calling her a liar

MELBOURNE, Australia – Rebel Wilson has been devastated by a string of magazine articles that she says portrayed her as a liar and subsequently cost her her roles in Hollywood, an attorney for the actress said on Monday. .

Wilson is suing Australian publisher Bauer Media for defamation over several articles published in 2015 that the Australian-born actress said led to her film contracts being terminated.

As the trial opened in Victoria Supreme Court on Monday, Wilson’s attorney Matthew Collins said his client was “cut off to the extreme” when she learned 1.5 million people had read an online article claiming that she lied about her name. , age and education in Australia. Collins said the articles were published to coincide with a highlight of Wilson’s acting career, including the release of “Pitch Perfect 2.”

“She thought she had never been struck by such meanness, it was at the time of the peak of her career,” Collins told the court.

Collins said Wilson was subsequently fired from several movie roles.

The actress, known for her work in comedies such as “Pitch Perfect” and “Bridesmaids”, flew to Melbourne for the three-week trial and appeared in court on Monday alongside her sister. She is expected to testify at a later date.

Wilson seeks unspecified damages from the publisher.

A Bauer Media attorney dismissed the argument that the articles had harmed Wilson, telling the court that no reasonable reader would have thought less of the actress when reading them.

“They weren’t nasty articles,” lawyer Georgina Schoff said.

Schoff also said the articles were factual, telling the court that Wilson did not grow up in the Sydney “ghetto”, as the actress had previously said in interviews. In fact, Schoff said, Wilson attended an elite private boarding school.