What Is Rebel Wilson’s Real Name?
Comedic actress Rebel Wilson has been lighting up the silver screen since 2003, but until now, nobody seemed to know her real age. Meh. That sort of stuff happens in Hollywood all the time. What’s strange is that nobody knew her real name, either. What are Wilson’s true statistics? The answers may surprise you.
Why did she lie about her name?
Rumors about Wilson’s possibly fabricated life story emerged as recently as 2015, when International Business Times revealed that the actress’ tales of growing up in the Sydney ghetto were actually untrue. According to IBT, the star used various names over the years, including Elizabeth and Melanie.
At one point, she explained to Australian Women’s Weekly that she went by those two names in order to cease teasing about her real name. In fact, those are part of her Rebel Wilson’s actual birth name.
On the up and up
The actress Variety magazine ranked in their Top Ten Comics to Watch for 2011 had her name legally changed to Rebel Wilson in 2002 while claiming that she never intentionally misled anyone about her real name or age, reports The Guardian.
Woman’s Day magazine touched on the topic of Wilson’s stories about growing up in “the more ghetto side of Sydney,” saying they were indeed false. People magazine confirmed when they revealed documents proving that Wilson attended the upscale Tara Anglican School while growing up in the upper-middle-class Sydney suburb of Castle Hill.
In May 2015, after publication of the People story, Wilson tweeted that she was actually a 100-year-old mermaid named CC Chalice.
Shortly thereafter, she tweeted again, this time saying that people her true moniker is Fat Patricia.
So, what is her real name?
According to her self-penned bio at IMDB, the 5’4″ actress was born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds in Sydney, Australia on March 2, 1980. She studied at the Australian Theatre for Young People and enjoyed a short albeit successful television and stage career in her native country before moving to the United States where she received further training at Second City.
What Wilson is famous for
Prior to being found fibbing about her name, Wilson made her face unforgettable in several Hollywood movies, including a star turn in the 2012 romantic comedy, Pitch Perfect, in which she portrayed an energetic and sympathetic character named Fat Amy. Based on the book by Mickey Rapkin, the plot of Pitch Perfect revolves around musically inclined students at fictional Barden University. In the story, Fat Amy is part of the all-girl singing group, The Bellas, who compete against an all-boy singing group. The 1hr 52min feature film also stars Brittany Snow, Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, and Hana Mae Lee.
Known for her brash but likable characters, Rebel Wilson brings wit and off-the-wall charm to every part she takes.
What she’s up to now
In 2019, Wilson will appear in four feature films, including Isn’t It Romantic, which she also produced. Isn’t It Romantic also features Priyanka Chopra and Adam Devine.
Watch for her in the upcoming film, The Hustle, too. In case you’re wondering, yes, she produced this one, as well. Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit is yet another Wilson vehicle that will be released later this in 2019, as is a much anticipated flick by Tom Hooper called Cats.
Future projects for the zaftig actress include a dramatic series, Les Norton, that will be filmed in Australia and aired on ABC. Currently, Wilson is in rehearsals for a martin McDonough play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which will premiere at the Sydney Theatre Company later this year.
