Rebel Wilson’s team wasn’t entirely supportive of her when she decided to prioritize her health over her career and lose weight.
In a new interview with BBC News, the 41-year-old actress discussed the reaction she got to her “year of health,” with those around her not wanting her to jeopardize a successful career as the “funny fat girl” in movies.
“I got a lot of pushback from my own team actually, here in Hollywood, when I said ‘Okay, I’m going to do this year of health, I feel like I’m really gonna physically transform and change my life,’” Wilson said. “And they were like, ‘Why? Why would you wanna do that?’ Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person,” she added.
Since embarking on her transformation last year, Wilson has lost almost 80 pounds. She said that while she’s been confident at any weight, she knew her “emotional eating” tendencies weren’t the best for her.
“Like I did not need a tub of ice cream every night. That was me kind of numbing emotions using food, which wasn’t the healthiest thing,” Rebel told the BBC. “I think it was dealing with not being a natural performer, and having to perform every day. And that pressure and internal stress to be able to perform like that.”
She also said that people now treat her differently following her weight loss. “I know what it’s like to be a woman who is essentially invisible to most people because of not being seen as traditionally beautiful or whatever. It’s crazy to try to fit that. It’s just better to be the healthiest version.”
Wilson’s breakthrough came when she played a character called (and officially credited as) Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect film franchise, dating back to 2012. “People are beautiful at any shape or size, and I genuinely believe that,” she told People last month. “I just got to a point where I knew deep inside that I was engaging in some activities that were unhealthy.”
