Rebel Wilson covers the May issue of InStyle to promote The Hustle, the remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, where she and Anne Hathaway are the “scoundrels,” the con artists who try to seduce rich men for profit and hilarity. While I’m usually on the “stop all of these damn remakes” train, I’ll admit that I really laughed at the trailer for this remake, so I hope it’s good. Rebel was quite chatty with InStyle, but this interview was different than some of the interviews I’ve read from her in years past – she’s very chilled out and mature-sounding, and quite reflective of how her career has already been bigger than she dreamed. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Being the kind of woman who gets the cover of InStyle: “There is no way on earth I thought this would happen because — I’ll put it this way — I never got anywhere because of my looks. I got places because I had a good brain and a good imagination. Only since moving to the States was I like, “People pay attention to what I wear. I should try to class it up a little bit.” I like being comfortable, and I come from a family where people didn’t really care what you looked like. They didn’t judge you on that.”
She didn’t get her nails done until she was 25: “I had friends whose mothers told them to always be put together and to look a certain way when you leave the house. I was the complete opposite. No one in my family went to the beauty salon. I didn’t even get my nails done until I was 25. It took my best friend Nick looking at my feet one day and going, “You should maybe do something about your nails,” for me to realize that I should go to a nail salon. Now I’m obsessed with going. I’m there every two weeks.
She knows how to dress now: “Through working with my stylist, Elizabeth Stewart, I’ve learned all these little tips and tricks — and they really work. Then you feel more comfortable when you have to dress up. I remember I didn’t even go to a friend’s wedding in my 20s because I didn’t know where to buy a dress in my size. Now it is the opposite. Now I have a wardrobe full of custom Givenchy.
She’s driven because she wants to be financially secure: “I think it comes from not having much as a child and seeing other people have stuff and just wanting to be financially secure. I always wanted to make something of myself. And, weirdly, I always believed I would be rich and successful even as a very young child, and I would say that to people. If you manifest [what you want], I really do think it comes true. It’s not so much about having money. I like doing good, charitable things.”
She might have a career in politics: “I have this weird feeling that I might go into politics in Australia…I like fighting against injustice. Even though there are plenty of injustices and my defamation case was not the biggest, it’s an example of Australian culture trying to tear down successful Australians. I think that is the opposite of what we should be striving for. Anyone who has made a success of themselves out of Australia, if they represent their country well, they should not be torn down. That kind of cultural thing, tall poppy syndrome, is just very negative and toxic. One thing I’ve always really liked about America is that it celebrates success, which I thought was a very positive cultural attribute.
She’s right about Tall Poppy Syndrome – it’s a thing in Australia and in the UK especially. When someone stands out for their success or effort or money, everyone wants to cut them down. I honestly think that’s a minor part of what’s happening to the Duchess of Sussex too – she was seen as too individual, too remarkable, too clever and too much of a change-maker. So people tried to cut her down. As for the rest of what Rebel says… she sounds like she’s in a really healthy place mentally these days. But this is bullsh-t: “I always believed I would be rich and successful even as a very young child, and I would say that to people. If you manifest [what you want], I really do think it comes true.” No. I’m not saying it’s dangerous or stupid or whatever – mantras are helpful, and it’s helpful to verbalize or write down your dreams and desires and prayers. But that doesn’t mean you’re making your dreams manifest by verbalizing them.
Cover and Instagram courtesy of InStyle.
Canada also has Tall Poppy Syndrome.
I think it’s a general Anglo/Commonwealth thing. But we’re a lot nicer about it at least.
I think the worst examples of it is we do it pretty harshly to our musicians. Anne Murray, Rush, BTO, Barenaked Ladies are just the few I can think of that got pulverized. I blame CanCon.
Meh. Having lived in Canada for nearly a decade, I wouldn’t say Canadians are nicer, they’re just Olympians at passive-aggressive, behind-the-back shit-talking.
Tall Poppy Syndrome is the reverse of Celeb adoration of the US and both tendencies are toxic. The fan culture is really toxic as much as this tendency to destroy who gets to the top.
That said, “the top” is a weird place: who really deserves to be there? Everyone has moments but not everyone is consistently good. Rebel, for instance, imo was funny for a minute but she does not have great acting chops and comedy wise can be quite basic. I think that maybe destroying this weird construct of a static hierarchy should be the way to go. I mean, Madonna only gets attention because she was culturally relevant for a decade right? But she is deemed a diva, a pop goddess and we keep having depressing posts with sub-par “hits” that are not really as relevant as we want them to be because of this static popularity ladder we’ve established as a society.
They photoshopped the hell out of Rebel. I don’t like her. While I think the tabloids were downright cruel to her, I also think she gave them cause and has not always been honest. She strikes me as someone who got to fame by any means necessary.
I’m not a fan of The Secret and the manifestation new age nonsense per say. After the verbalization comes the hard work. I was born pretty poor and I’m not insanely wealthy now but I knew I did not want to be poor the rest of my life. So I decided to get a business degree. I also spent countless hours learning about making smart financial decisions. I learned how to invest my money properly. I put in the work to make my desires reality. Verbalizing is great if you use it to get your mind right and put in the work to make it happen. If verbalizing is what reminds you of what you need to do to get where you want to go then more power to you. I just find putting in the work helps.
“Verbalizing is great if you use it to get your mind right and put in the work to make it happen.“
Agree 100% and then there are the circumstances for some that no amount of hard work can overcome without some extraordinary talent and/or luck. Financial success isn’t always attainable just because you want it to be.
That said, I loved the Pitch Perfect movies. Loved them.
Yeah, Tall Poppy is everywhere.
I agree that “just manifest it!” is BS. Rebel has talent and worked for it, but she also got very lucky because she got a role in the right movie at the right time. There are lots of talented people that doesn’t happen for, no matter how much they want it.
I do want to see the Hustle, the trailer was pretty funny, and I like Anne and Rebel.
Regarding her career – it was not just her good brain, I don’t think. It was absolutely about “her looks” just not in the traditional sense. She got roles because of her looks bucking the trend of thin and fit in Hollywood.
I’m saying this explicitly because of her “Fat Amy” character. I’m not sure she’d be acting if not for her size. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with her size. Just that it’s a big part of her roles.
It’s a nice sentiment and all, but it’s not true. It’s a combination of grit, opportunity, and luck. Mostly luck and opportunity, and as we have seen, opportunities are not granted to a lot of people based off of their looks, background, ethnicity, gender etc. I am not saying Rebel didn’t have grit or worked hard for what she has now, but it’s not the case for everyone.
This is a total nit picky comment (daughter of an English teacher), but she’s using the word “manifest” incorrectly. It’s a verb with an object, not just a stand-alone verb. Rather, I think she means “if you visualize your goals, they will manifest.” Manifest implies that the outcome has already occurred, rather than the other way around.
Now I’m going to adjust my school marm glasses and go back to proofreading my kid’s homework.
thank you yes
Oh gawd. If this dumb “manifestation/The Secret” stuff were true, we’d all be millionaires. Success is a mysterious formula of talent, hard work, and yes, opportunity/luck. And I cannot stand it when successful people talk only for the first two and refuse to acknowledge the third. Like this one is.
When she first came on the scene I was kind of rooting for her because the movie business is not kind to women who don’t fit a certain image, and that sucks. But then I started seeing interviews with her and I was through with her. She comes off as smug and a bit surly and not as clever as she thinks she is. Graham Norton has a soft spot for her and puts her on a lot and she can shut down a good vibe or energy with one dumb, smug comment. Then there’s the lying about the age and the whole “her real name is Melanie” stuff, although that could be ignored if she at all had a fun or interesting personality.
Tall Poppy Syndrome is real (best verbalized in Morrissey’s song “We Hate It When Our Friends Are Successful”) but shouldn’t be confused with “they’re calling me on my b.s.”
Its more than, i had experience with it and some people think its dumb to believe in that but when you really put it into practice its kinda weird. It takes a lot of drive and it has to do with having self love, confidence and learning from your mistakes and also having a positive attitude towards life. I tried it many times because I used to have a certain mindset but when I changed that mindset, it was surprising how things just got easier and literally, jobs things that I wanted were there. At some point you think its crazy and it may be coincidence.
So much agree with you Mumbles!
And what about things that happen that we would not possibly “manifest”? Like when you get chickenpox? Or your flight gets canceled – did everyone on that plane secretly somehow manifest this? When a sinkhole opens on your yard?
Some wishes come true, some do not. “Secret” people always say “well that probably would not have been good for you, and that’s why it didn’t happen!” But if I manifested both as hard? Who then overruled my wishes?
Mumbles, there was a time in my life when I followed Youtubers who practiced The Secret. It was a dark point in my life. I realized that if the Secret works why aren’t they having millions of subscribers like Logan Paul or Jeffree Starr? Most of them are peddling woo-woo stuff like mantra beads, Energy water, life plan, guided meditation that can only be available through download for a fee.
Man, they truly know how to sell to out of luck, desperate people like me. Oh yeah, I bought one of those access and they are nothing but tips and tricks one can easily find on the Internet.
I don’t think they could have blurred her face much more on that cover. Wow, it’s bad. As for Rebel’s new movie, I didn’t laugh at all and have no interest in seeing it. She just rubs me the wrong way.
Yeah she rubs me the wrong way too but she has worked hard for her success and good luck to her.
She’s so funny. I laughed out loud so much in when I saw Isn’t it Romantic? In the theater and I never do that! Even if I enjoy something, I usually laugh internally. The Hustle looks hilarious too!
Like how she “manifested” herself into being 5 or 6 years younger than she actually is?
(Many) people with outsize success are very invested in the idea that it is something inherently worthy about them has lead to their success. They discount luck, connections, and any other circumstance or assistance that contributed. They wanted it, they got it and, therefore, anyone could have—if only you were as good as they are, which they definitely believe you are not. This isn’t to say that Rebel, or anyone else, hasn’t worked hard for their success; Just that effort and desire are far from the only factors.
For instance, I come from a lower class family and had a totally chaotic childhood and unstable home situation. But, I also did really well in school, so teachers both liked me, and felt a little sorry for me, therefore I got extra attention. (And, to go even further, being a little WHITE girl from a troubled home, vs someone of color was also a huge factor in that sympathy.) I was selected to test for a special pull out gifted program, that eventually became a separate school. I continued to excel academically and got into an Ivy (no, not that one), 20-some years ago when admission was definitely MUCH easier than it is now. I actually met my first boss when I was in college, on, of all places, an Internet message board, where I was being a snarky idiot … Which he found amusing. Once he discovered where I went to school, he took me more seriously and offered me a “summer job” that turned out to be low level TV production at the Olympic Games. There, I worked hard, yes, but I also made tons of connections that eventually turned into more jobs, and then a career, and eventually where I met my husband in an adjacent field. Voila, life accomplished solely through my own hard work, with no luck or help at all. Ta-da!
If my not-very-responsible parents didn’t have middle class parents of their own to fall back on, which kept me in a good school system, how does it play out? If teachers in that school system don’t dote on a poor little girl, do I get to test for the special school? If community doesn’t fund the gifted program (public; we were poor), do I get into a prestigious university? If I’ve not got that college name behind me, does a relatively well known TV producer take seriously some teenager popping off online from her dorm room?
Long story short: I’m not even all that successful, but it still took a hell of a lot of folks, and a good dash of luck, plus right place, right time circumstances to get me where I am today. No one does it on their own. Nobody.
And if Rebel really believes that kids in the ‘hood, whose parents may be in prison or have gangs threatening their lives daily, and go to school in broken down war zones with more “resource officers” than qualified teachers, primary issue is that they just aren’t dreaming hard enough about being rich and successful, well then … All the eye rolls to her. All of ’em.
Yup! Life hardly ever goes like you think it will. At least mine hasn’t. It’s just a combination of things.
I do believe it does matter how you respond to things, especially bad things (but only after the first shock, not saying you should think positive a minute after your house has burned down!).
Also, if Wilson’s career starts going downhill, surely she manifested that too?
manifesting = praying
moving from the Bible Belt to the New Age West Coast gave me the wisdom that they are more alike than they are different.
Absolutely, but now the “god” is the self.
What could possibly go wrong….
I think sometimes the “Tall Poppy” argument is used by people who just don’t like criticism and want to get outraged about not getting 100% support 100% of the time. Rebel is one of those people.
We saw it with her “First Ever Plus Size Romantic Lead” gaffe. Instead of owning up to making a mistake, she made herself the victim and blocked people. Similarly, after being called out for lying about her age/name/background, she used the Draconian defamation laws in Australia to pursue some misguided vindication, thinking she was the voice for the “little guy”.
She’s not loved here in Australia and there’s a reason- she’s not that funny. Her schtick is old and one note, ie “Pretend Dumb Australian”.
^^ This.
Well, she might not be loved by you, but she gets plenty of love ‘here in Australia’.
I’m a fan, I think she’s funny. Loved Isn’t it Romantic, didn’t think I would. Looking forward to The Hustle.
Don’t really care that she pretends to have grown up poor, maybe she thinks she was poor compared to her peers. We’re the ‘poor cousins’ in our family but we aren’t exactly starving, and definitely don’t have much compared to them.
As to the so-called draconian defamation laws, you can’t just publish whatever you like about people, trashmag or broadsheet, famous or not. It was a ho-hum story about her lying about her age; the magazine overly embellished and defamed her character to make it interesting enough. Do you feel the same about Geoffrey Rush winning his case?
Yes, I do.
And you’re SO clearly Rebel or her family. Ha!
@wendywoo
*chuckles in rich*
No, but if you have to think that the only fans she has are her family for you to get to sleep tonight, you knock yourself out sweetie.
Oh, and don’t presume to speak for everyone in “here in Australia”. Someone might mistake you for a not-so-Pretend Dumb Australian.
@MUMBLES
“Tall Poppy Syndrome (…) shouldn’t be confused with “they’re calling me on my b.s.”
yup.
still don’t get how she won her case in australia when she actually did fudge her age. i really didn’t care about the age lying, she could have just made a joke about it, brushed it off, and people would have been understanding. but acting as if she had been accused of something unseemely and going so far as to sue… ? weird af.
and to my understanding, she didn’t come from a “not having much” background, that was also something she was called out on in the press. but she’s repeating the same story. bizarre.