By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
Rebel Wilson appeared in the Federal Court of Australia for her nine-day defamation trial on April 20. The actor is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, who played one of the leads in Wilson’s 2024 directorial debut, “The Deb.”
The claims brought forth against Wilson were that she allegedly lied in four social media posts about MacInnes being sexually harassed by one of the film’s producers, Amanda Ghost. In addition, Wilson apparently falsely stated MacInnes retracted her statement in exchange for career opportunities.
The event Wilson is allegedly referring to took place between filming for “The Deb” at Bondi Beach on Sept. 5. According to Deadline, MacInnes’ barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, clarified the situation in court from her perspective.
MacInnes and Ghost were swimming that evening when Ghost had an allergic reaction to cold water, a condition known as cold urticaria. “Ghost was shaking uncontrollably and came out in hives,” Deadline states.
As stated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, MacInnes wrote in her affidavit that she took her back to their shared apartment and ran a shower and bath, with another producer at the scene. MacInnes joined Ghost in the bath when the two producers suggested it would help her warm up as well.
Wilson’s most recent account is that MacInnes had made a complaint about what happened and felt uncomfortable, which MacInnes denied saying. According to news.com.au, a series of texts between Wilson and Ghost from that time revealed that Wilson told Ghost, “Charlotte says all good. She just meant ‘it was a bizarre situation’ not that she personally felt uncomfortable x.”
Wilson also claims that MacInnes allegedly took back her complaint because Ghost offered her a record deal and a role in a “Gatsby” show she was producing, which Dauid Sibtain SC, Wilson’s barrister, addressed in court. “Ms Ghost even sent Ms MacInnes a ‘confidential’ audition tape of another actress, to help prepare, the court heard,” according to the ABC News. “Ms MacInnes was eventually cast as Daisy in the play.”
“MacInnes agreed the producer had given her a lot of help, including providing feedback and networking opportunities,” stated an article by the Guardian. “MacInnes said she felt her dreams were coming true when she was performing on super yachts and flying in private jets, partly thanks to Ghost.”
Another incident that has been brought up as the case has progressed was four months prior to the event at Bondi Beach when MacInnes dined with Ghost instead of going to see a theater production with Wilson and her other castmates. Texts between the two showed MacInnes apologizing for losing track of time and Wilson stating she “appreciates” it.
According to the Guardian, Wilson added, “In the future, it is terribly rude to say you wanted a ticket to a show and then you don’t reply or follow up…not a great start to our working relationship.”
MacInnes wrote in her affidavits how distressing this situation has been for her. As reported by news.com.au, “I was also angry that Rebel claims to be someone who stands up for women and young Australian talent but then was so maliciously and unfairly persisting with a narrative that painted me as a liar, prostitute, sell out, and whore.”
MacInnes also wrote in her affidavit that Wilson had apparently leaked a nude photo of her after hacking into her Snapchat account.
“Once I regained access to my account, I could see that whoever had hacked into the account had saved a nude photo of me that I had sent to my boyfriend and also uploaded a photo of a vagina (that wasn’t mine),” states another article by news.com.au. “They then sent these two photos to all of my contacts on Snapchat, including my family, as well as many strangers.”
Prior to this case, there had been a history of lawsuits and controversies between Wilson and producers of “The Deb” in the past few years. According to People, there have been accusations of Wilson being involved in a smear campaign against Ghost in 2024, accusations made by Wilson about misconduct by producers and lawsuits from both sides.
The defamation trial between MacInnes and Wilson is still ongoing. According to news.com.au, Wilson will have the chance to share her perspective this upcoming week.
