Be my Valentine, Rebel Wilson

With scene-stealing roles in a slew of wedding-themed movies and an upcoming hosting gig, the Australian actress’ star continues to rise

Ifirst saw Rebel Wilson in A Few Best Men, a little-known Australian-British comedy starring Twilight’s Xavier Samuel, and I assumed that she was a man pretending to be a woman. Around that time I had been watching the BBC’s brilliant Little Britain, a comedy sketch show that parodied British people from all walks of life, and the Sydney-born comic bore such an uncanny resemblance to the character Vicky Pollard, a delinquent Bristol teen essayed by the English actor Matt Lucas, that I thought they were one and the same person. With the help of Google, I discovered they weren’t, and Rebel Wilson was by all accounts fully female. I was intrigued.

As it turned out, A Few Best Men was only the first in a slew of wedding-themed projects. Hollywood may have finally taken notice of the 26-year-old Australian actress in Bridesmaids, where she played Kristen Wiig’s oblivious roommate. But to me, her talent shone brighter as Becky in Bachelorette, about high school friends — Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan — who reunite to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of a classmate they once dubbed “pig face.”

Interesting roles

Wilson told the Huffington Post: “It was such an interesting role because it’s kind of a dramatic role and the centered, more grounded role, but yet at times she still has to be funny.” Happy Endings’ Casey Wilson was attached to the project, but backed out due to her television commitments.

I only signed on as part of Rebel Wilson’s ever-growing fanbase after her scenes in Pitch Perfect made me laugh so loud it may have alarmed my neighbors. I treat Glee with unbelievable disdain so I had reservations in watching a movie about the lives and loves of sassy collegians from competing a cappella groups.

But her Fat Amy had the best lines (“Sometimes I have the feeling I can do crystal meth, but then I think, mmm... better not”; and my favorite: “I’ve just been shot!”) and her native Aussie accent harmonized with her deadpan improv delivery. As a result Pitch Perfect became one of 2012’s most gag-packed flicks, alternating between surprisingly funny and totally strange.           

Tipping the scales

That she is an overweight individual in a body-obsessed industry makes me root for her even more. During a Tonight Show appearance she said, self-effacingly, “They’re like, well, she kind of looks like Adele, but can she sing?” before belting out Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory. Rebel tipped the scales at around 230 pounds at her peak and she shared with Sydney’s Telegraph that “while Australians had been prejudiced against her weight, her bumps and curves have been an asset in the US.” She’s now a Jenny Craig spokesperson Down Under, aiming to eventually weigh 180 pounds, but I hope that she doesn’t diet herself to oblivion. Bachelorette was filled with bulimia references, so I find this all very noteworthy.

I’ve read positive things about her performance in Chris Colfer’s screenwriting debut Struck By Lightning, so that’s something I’d like to see next. What I’m really looking forward to though is her hosting gig in April. “I’m thinking of some ideas for the MTV Movie Awards (and) so far I’ve thought of kidnapping One Direction and making them watch me dance sexy,” she tweeted. Then she’s also writing and starring in Super Fun Night, a pilot in which her character, along with two nerdy gal pals, tries to have an epic Friday night each week. This is why 2013 will continue to be Rebel Wilson’s year and also why she is totally awesome.

* * *

ginobambino.tumblr.com