Earlier this week, Australian Pitch Perfect 2 actress responded with humor to claims that she lied about her age. The report alleged that Rebel is not 29 but 36 years old. Lots of actresses shave off years to survive in the cut-throat casting world. Just look at how Maggie Gyllenhaal, 37, was told she was “too old” to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man.
Time magazine performed a records search with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and concluded that Rebel did lie about her true age, which is 35. She was born March 2, 1980. Now the floodgates have opened, and it turns out Rebel didn’t simply lie about her age. She lied about her name and her upbringing too:
Wilson also fudged the truth about her name. The Australian Electoral Roll lists her real name as Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, though she later changed her last name to Wilson, as has been previously reported. Last year, however, she told the Australian Women’s Weekly that her real name was in fact Rebel, and that Melanie and Elizabeth were middle names she went by at school to avoid being teased. […]
As for Wilson’s upbringing, she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2013 that she grew up in “the ghetto.” Records show that she attended the upper-crust Tara Anglican School and lived in the comfortable Castle Hill area from 2000 to 2003. Her parents are listed as living at this address from 1995 to 2005.
Most of Rebel’s confirmed fibs seem inconsequential at first glance. Many actors take stage names, and lots of people embellish their childhood histories to sound more interesting in interviews. This saga isn’t over yet. Rebel may have damaged her brand, which she built upon being one of the “realest” actors and comedians in show biz. Rebel’s lies about her upbringing were unnecessary and showed her no benefit. And now the press has a reason to keep digging.
(Via Time)
