Rebel Wilson claims agency 'liked me fat' after salary jumped from $3,500 to $10M
Rebel Wilson says she was paid $3,500 for 'Bridesmaids' and received a bump to $10 million for 'Pitch Perfect 3'
Rebel Wilson reportedly secured a $10 million paycheck for her role as Fat Amy in "Pitch Perfect 3" as long as she didn't gain or lose more than 10 pounds.
According to her memoir, "Rebel Rising," which was obtained by People, the salary was a huge increase from her paycheck for the 2011 film, "Bridesmaids," which was $3,500.
The small amount of money Wilson earned for "Bridesmaids" didn't bother her, she wrote, because she was just happy to be in a film, and the small salary was enough for her to pay the fee to get into the SAG-AFTRA union.
But, according to Vanity Fair, Wilson wrote in her memoir that her agency "liked me fat because they got hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission for each film where I played the fat funny girl."
Rebel Wilson says she received a huge salary bump for her role in "Pitch Perfect" as long as she didn't lose or gain weight. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
REBEL WILSON DISCUSSES ‘INTERESTING’ WAYS PEOPLE HAVE TREATED HER AFTER WEIGHT LOSS TRANSFORMATION
In an interview with The New York Times, Wilson revealed that Universal Pictures originally offered her $9 million for her role in "Pitch Perfect," but she was able to negotiate for eight figures.
"Universal Studios are incredible, but did they make a ton of money from the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies? Yes," Wilson said in her interview. "So, despite me absolutely loving all those folks at Universal, did I use that leverage to my advantage? Yes. And in the 11th hour, I go, ‘You know, that’s a lovely offer of $9 million. But I need one more to make it 10.’
Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson starred in "Pitch Perfect." Rebel received a $10 million salary for her role as Fat Amy in the trilogy films. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"That’s a big milestone when you’re an actor. To receive an eight-figure offer, for a woman, is huge. Sometimes women don’t like to talk about that. Whereas, I don’t think the guys have any issues saying they get $20 million a movie."
During an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast last year, Wilson went viral after revealing her "Pitch Perfect" contract required her to maintain her current weight.
"You can’t lose — I think it’s not more than 10 pounds or gain more than 10 pounds. You have to kind of stay at the weight. It’s in your contract," Rebel said at the time.
Rebel Wilson reportedly wrote in her memoir that her agency "liked me fat because they got hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission for each film where I played the fat funny girl." (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images / Getty Images)
So, she felt trapped in a "multimillion-dollar pigeonhole" due to her weight.
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As Wilson progressed in her career, she made the decision to lose weight. In 2020, the actress detailed her dramatic 77-pound weight loss during her "year of health."
Rebel's weight loss prompted some of her fans to turn against her, she told The New York Times.
Rebel Wilson lost 77 pounds in 2020. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images for AFI / Getty Images)
"Some were like, ‘Oh, we don’t think she’s funny anymore,’ or, ‘Now she’s lost me as a fan because I can’t relate to her anymore,'" she said. "But I think if they read the book, they’ll understand my journey with weight and health. Obviously, I have a sweet tooth. That’s my vice. And in times of stress, I’d been dealing with it by eating. I don’t think that will ever, ever go away."
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"Rebel Rising: A Memoir" was released April 2.