Rebel Wilson's memoir and the trap for plus-sized stars

 

Rebel Wilson's memoir and the trap for plus-sized stars

The "fat funny friend" trope, and why being a larger actor or musical artist is so complicated and fraught with difficulty.

For several weeks now, Rebel Wilson's new memoir has been dominating the headlines. From serious allegations of sexual harassment against former co-star Sacha Baron Cohen (which he has denied, calling them "demonstrably false claims"), to details of losing her virginity at 35, her fertility journey, having a baby via a surrogate, her sexuality, and even an apparent beef with Adele – the actress has not held back.

Rebel Rising, which is out in the US this week – but delayed until later this month in the UK – is one of the most candid celebrity memoirs to emerge in some time. And one of the subjects she is most open about is her body, and the role it has played in her career.

Wilson lost 80lb (36kg) after making 2020 her "year of health". She decided to lose weight after a doctor told her she would have a better chance of successful IVF treatment. But, as she explains in the book, not everyone was happy with her choice. "The agency liked me fat because they got hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission for each film where I played the fat funny girl," she writes.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Wilson said: "Basically no one apart from my mum wanted me to lose weight. People thought I'd lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that."

It's not the first time that the actor – who played the character "Fat Amy" in Pitch Perfect – has talked about being stereotyped by her weight. Speaking to the Call Her Daddy podcast in 2023, she reflected on her roles in Pitch Perfect (2012), Bridesmaids (2011) and How to Be Single (2016) – all films in which she played the role of the funny friend – saying, "I love doing those roles, I love those characters, but then I did want to do more things. But then I felt like being the bigger girl, you're just more pigeon-holed." Her size was considered an integral part of her Pitch Perfect role, and Wilson has said that there was a clause in her contract stating she couldn't lose weight while filming.