Rebel Wilson calls out Sacha Baron Cohen, says she will not be 'silenced' amid new memoir
Rebel Wilson has named Sacha Baron Cohen as the actor who she alleges is trying to stop the release of her memoir.
The Australian actress, in an Instagram story posted on Monday, said she "will not be bullied or silenced by high priced lawyers or PR crisis managers. The '(expletive)' that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is: Sacha Baron Cohen."
In an Instagram video posted March 15, Wilson, 44, discussed her policy on working with other stars in Hollywood.
"When I first came to Hollywood, people were like, 'Yeah, I have a no (expletives) policy,'" she said. "I was like, 'Oh yeah. I mean, that sounds sensible or logical.' But then it really sunk in because I worked with a massive (expletive)."
USA TODAY has reached out to Cohen for comment.
Wilson's memoir, Rebel Rising, is set for an April 2 release.
The "Pitch Perfect" star and Cohen, 52, previously worked together on the latter's 2016 film "The Brothers Grimsby," in which Cohen played Nobby and Wilson played Dawn Grobham. Cohen produced and wrote the film.
In a 2016 Marie Claire U.K. interview, Wilson said Cohen wanted a "full-frontal nudity" scene in the film, which she refused.
"We write in the contract, specifically, 'No nudity.' They got in another girl — this larger burlesque dancer from South Africa — to be a nude double," she said at the time. "And they got her to do all this stuff. Sacha would go, 'See, she looks good.' I'm like, I'm not doing it. I don't care what you say."
She continued: "You want to know that the people (behind the camera) have a certain sensibility and decency. And a lot of times in comedy they're not those people."
In a 2014 radio interview with the Kyle & Jackie O Show, according to U.S. Weekly and Variety, Wilson said Cohen made another request in the film's final scene that she again refused.
"He was like, 'Rebel can you just stick your finger up my butt?' And I went, 'What do you mean Sacha? That’s not in the script.' And he's like, 'Look, I'll just pull down my pants, you just stick your finger up my butt, it'll be a really funny bit,'" she said.
Cohen, best known for producing, writing and staring in the films "Borat" and "Brüno," has often been a controversial figure in comedy, albeit one whose films have garnered industry accolades.
Cohen played chauvinistic Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev in the Oscar-nominated 2006 film and revived the character for its 2020 sequel "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," which was nominated for several Golden Globe Awards. The latter film included a controversial Rudy Giuliani scene where Donald Trump's lawyer was caught in a questionable situation with actress Maria Bakalova. In 2021, Cohen said he was retiring his character — again — because "it got too dangerous."
Wilson is known for her breakout roles in 2011's "Bridesmaids" and the "Pitch Perfect" franchise. The comedic actress has also been open about her diet and fitness journey, noting in January that she gained 30 pounds due to stress from her busy schedule, which includes new films and working on her memoir.
"It makes me feel bad about myself…it shouldn't…but it does," Wilson wrote. "It's just been a LOT and I've lost focus on my healthy lifestyle."
Contributing: Jay Stahl and Cydney Henderson
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
