Rebel Wilson On Lying About Her Age: “Most Actresses Do That!”
Rebel Wilson reveals that she is actually older than she led on. (Photo: Getty Images)
Last year, Women’s Day published a (pretty mean) piece entitled Will The Real Rebel Wilson Please Stand Up? Using anonymous sources who grew up with the actress, they revealed that Wilson’s real name was Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, that she wasn’t funny growing up, had a childhood that differed from her stories, and the supposedly big shocker that she was 36, not 29. At the time, Rebel responded with a joke on Twitter “OMG I’m actually a 100 year old mermaid formerly known as CC Chalice!”
Wilson has finally spoken up about the age controversy to Australian TV host Julia Zemiro on Home Delivery. “When I did go to America, I kind of stopped saying my age,” Wilson admitted. “But the reality is when you work in America, you have to show your passport and your visa for every single job, so it’s not like you can hide how old you were. So for the press to do a story that I was deliberately lying or whatever, no, I was just being a lady and not telling my age when I moved to America. That’s not really a crime. Also, most actresses do that! I don’t know why people care. “
While Wilson may not have actually told the press her age, someone, somewhere knocked seven years off. Most likely her agent or manager, and she definitely went along with it, if not instigated it to begin with. And really who can blame her? When she moved to LA from Australia, she had an opportunity to be the golden age for actresses and she went with it. Seems like a smart career move to succeed in an industry that prizes youth.
While men are allowed to go gray comfortably, so many of the best parts are written for actresses in their twenties. Jennifer Lawrence, 25 who is constantly paired as the love interest for Bradley Cooper who is 41. Anne Hathaway who is 32, recently told Glamour she was already losing out on parts because she was over 30. "When I was in my early 20s, parts would be written for women in their 50s and I would get them,” Hathaway said. “And now I’m in my early 30s, and I’m like, ‘Why did that 24-year-old get that part?’ I was that 24-year-old once. I can’t be upset about it; it’s the way things are.”
Of course, it would be great if actresses could own their age, and no one would care. But old habits die hard in Hollywood, and while TV has proven to be very supportive of actresses of all ages, the film industry is definitely less so. Until it changes, don’t expect actresses to be truthful about their age, their career is at stake.
Related:
A 20-Year Age Gap Is the Big Thing in Hollywood
Why Some People Get to Look 25 Forever
The 2015 amfAR Inspiration Gala Was Conquered by Actresses Over Age 50
