Rebel Wilson: ‘I always wanted to be like Judi Dench. But people like laughing at me'

The Guardian

a day ago

What's been the most fun you've had on set? FrNthOldPitch Perfect, because it felt like theatre camp. We came together in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was like college: hanging out with my friends, having fun, not really acting. For four weeks we were in boot camp, where we'd dance and do conditioning in the mornings – so sit-ups, stretching and learning the choreography. In the afternoons, we'd learn our 10-part harmonies and go into the recording studio. Sometimes we were really dorky and said: on Friday we're all going to wear the same colour T-shirts, just to be like a squad.
You've worked with Sir Derek Jacobi twice – in Juliet & Romeo, and the upcoming Tinsel Town. How was he? Derekj2210It was pretty cool to be in scenes with him. Even though we weren't doing the iambic pentameter, it was interesting to watch how the language fell off his tongue. We were filming in this medieval Italian church. It was zero degrees, but he was so easygoing: always telling stories, with this fun grandpa vibe. He's one of the most amazing Shakespearean actors ever: in his 80s, still crushing every line. I kept wanting to get selfies with him, because he really is one of the greats.
I felt the same when I worked with Dame Judi Dench on Cats. When I started acting, I always wanted to be like Dame Judi, because I thought I was going to be a serious actor. It just turned out that people like laughing at me. She's like your grandma, in that you just want to hold her hand, and help her. She's also got a wicked sense of humour: she'd be throwing out jokes and cursing, which I thought was hilarious. There have been a few times I've had to pinch myself. I had to do a boot camp with Sir Ian McKellen for Cats; at one point we were crawling around on the floor, pretending to lick each other. It was so funny.
What is it like being a guest on the Graham Norton Show? I enjoyed your rap and the way you took your heels off. VegansRuleThePlanetGraham Norton is such a master of the talkshow. Other talkshows can be a bit of a struggle, but with him, it really is just like having a chat. I did the rap because I was telling the story of when I was 11, I had a rap group with my sister, which was probably the most uncool thing ever, seeing as we were two white girls from Sydney. I took my shoes off because I'm terrible at doing anything in high heels. I do try to wear them to be classy on the night-time talkshows, but I'm terrible at moving in heels: I move like a shuffling wombat.
You won $250,000 for charity on the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Does this mean you're not such a Rebel Without a Cause? vammypWe had a great cause: the money sponsored a school in Tanzania, and helped put 40 kids through college. Some have already graduated. The medical students still send me video updates every six months. It's surreal that going on a gameshow for half an hour resulted in putting 40 kids through college in Africa.
My heart rate was pumping because I wanted to win as much money for charity as I could. You think: oh my God, please don't be an idiot. I play a lot of dumb, stupid characters, but in real life, I do have two degrees – in theatre and performance studies, and law.
I have a charitable connection to Africa because when I was 18, I did a gap year, and travelled from South Africa to Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. When I got to Mozambique, I got malaria really badly. We didn't have time to put up the mosquito nets and I woke up with my face covered in mosquito bites. Two weeks later, I was in hospital because it was a really bad strain. I don't know whether it was the disease or the drugs, but I was hallucinating really badly, and I hallucinated that I won an Academy Award. It was so visceral and real that I came out of hospital and said: 'Hey everyone, I think I'm going to become an actor now.' The South Africans were like: 'Ah, no, Rebel. The malaria has demented your brain.' My parents were pushing me into law school, so I did law by day and acting by night.
Has your positive body transformation led to different scripts coming your way? BradLopez22In the movie I just shot in the UK, Tinsel Town, I play the love interest to Kiefer Sutherland, which is probably not at all the kind of role you'd think I'd get cast as. There was a tendency to think: she's no longer Fat Amy [from Pitch Perfect], so she can't play those characters any more. There was a little bit of: also, is she still funny? I've just been offered the lead in a horror movie. So it's not just comedies, musicals and romcoms. It's good to surprise people.
Did I have a Greggs? [Sutherland is an outspoken fan, so Greggs sent a van to the set]. Yes. I enjoyed a sausage roll. Greggs gifted Kiefer and I a £50 VIP voucher, which I still have. You get four sausage rolls for the price of three as well. That's a lot of sausage rolls.
Pitch Perfect: The Reunion ...? Any plans for a fourth instalment? writeronthestormOh God, I hope so. We hear rumours all the time. I know Universal is developing some scripts. The fanbase for Pitch Perfect is so awesome and keeps growing as younger people are introduced to it. So, hopefully – there's a huge desire for another movie.
Marmite or Vegemite? TopTrampI'm actually a weird Australian: I don't eat Vegemite or Marmite. I don't know why. I just don't like the look of it. If I was putting something on toast, I'd put Nutella.
What role challenged you most? HamesJoyceI did a very small movie called The Almond and the Seahorse, which we filmed up in Liverpool and north Wales, about traumatic brain injury. Because it was such an intense subject, you had to go from zero to 100 emotionally within the same scene. I was like: how am I gonna do this? But it turned out really well, and challenged me a lot more than roles like Fat Amy where I get to sing, dance and be goofy.
Juliet & Romeo will screen in selected UK cinemas for one night only on 11 June