Aussie A-lister Rebel Wilson has been accused of lying about her involvement in a smear website days before a defamation hearing brought by the star of her troubled directorial debut.
The Pitch Perfect star directed, co-produced and starred in The Deb, a recently released musical comedy set in rural NSW that has sparked a number of legal battles.
The lead actor in the film, Charlotte MacInnes, is suing Wilson for defamation over social media posts that claimed the younger performer confided in her that she had been sexually harassed by producer Amanda Ghost.
MacInnes has consistently denied any sexual misconduct took place and says she has been harmed by Wilson’s suggestions she retracted the alleged complaint in return for a lead role and a record label.
Both actors are set to testify in the Federal Court when the dispute is aired in a nine-day hearing beginning on Monday.
One of the issues to be canvassed is whether Wilson is telling the truth about not being involved in creating a smear website attacking Ms Ghost, a preliminary hearing on Wednesday was told.
MacInnes alleges the Bridesmaid actress asked a US publicist to set up malicious websites about Ms Ghost, claiming she was a sex trafficker and referring to the alleged sexual harassment complaint.
Wilson has denied the allegations, telling Nine’s 60 Minutes program in November that she had “zero to do with the websites”.
“We have made it very plain that our case is that Ms Wilson is lying,” MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court on Wednesday.
“It is highly coincidental that Ms Wilson makes allegations in public interviews and on Instagram which very closely mirror the content of those websites.”
She sought to obtain communication between Wilson and her previous lawyer regarding the websites.
If Wilson was telling the truth about her lack of involvement in publishing the “shocking and disgusting” allegations, Ms Chrysanthou said there wouldn’t be any documents to produce.
But Wilson’s barrister argued the actor’s communication with her previous lawyer may be protected from disclosure under legal privilege.
The request was oppressive so close to the hearing and the question of who created the website was not one to be answered in the proceedings, he said.
The judge ruled in MacInnes’ favour, noting the issue was relevant to her push for an award of aggravated damages and an injunction to stop Wilson repeating the allegedly defamatory claims.
Wilson was also ordered to hand over her conversations with internationally acclaimed performer FKA Twigs about Ms Ghost.
The Australian actor and her pregnant partner are set to appear in the Federal Court during the second week of the hearing.
Wilson is also facing a separate lawsuit brought by Ms Ghost and The Deb’s other co-producers, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden, over alleged contract breaches and damaging statements
That dispute will be fought over two weeks in the NSW Supreme Court in September.
The ongoing legal action has blocked The Deb from wider distribution after it premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024.
The film was finally released in Australia earlier in April and garnered a warm reception with some critics describing it as “joyous” and “filthy, fun, but most of all moving”.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
