Rising star to testify in ‘nightmarish’ feud with Rebel
An aspiring actor will testify in his smear battle against Hollywood star Rebel Wilson over social media posts he claims portray her as a liar.
Charlotte MacInnes is suing the Pitch Perfect actor over social media posts alleging MacInnes complained about feeling uncomfortable after taking a bath with the film’s co-producer, Amanda Ghost.
MacInnes claims the posts, which were visible to Wilson’s 11 million followers 24 hours a day, suggested she dropped the alleged complaint in exchange for good acting and music opportunities.
She denies complaining to the Bridesmaids actor and says her reputation was severely damaged before she could reap the benefits of starring in her first feature film.
The 26-year-old is expected to give evidence in the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.
MacInnes stars in Wilson’s film The Deb, a musical comedy set in rural NSW.
She has been hailed by The Deb co-writer Hannah Reilly as a talented, enthusiastic and cheerful performer who has been irrevocably “hardened” by her social media posts.
In an affidavit filed with the Federal Court, Ms Reilly wrote that MacInnes admitted the posts had destroyed some of his innocence and trust in the world.
The young actor said he had vivid nightmares, experienced panic attacks and stopped eating for days.
“He expressed to me that this was an all-consuming nightmarish force in his life,” Ms. Reilly wrote.
He felt MacInnes needed to become more armored as a result of Wilson’s social media posts, which he reported left him with a constant sense of alertness and anxiety.
Before September 2024, the young actor had a reputation as a “bright star in the making,” Ms. Reilly wrote in her affidavit.
He thought Wilson’s subsequent social media posts suggested MacInnes was a liar who performed sexual favors to get a role and record deal.
Wilson maintains that the young actor did so to secure his future as an actor by appeasing Miss Ghost before withdrawing his complaint.
However, MacInnes’ friend and fellow actress Katelin Koprivec described this claim as “untrue” in her statement to the court.
“I knew how hard Charlotte had to work to get the role, auditioning multiple times and proving herself to a panel of creatives,” he wrote.
Koprivec said in a statement that MacInnes felt Wilson was “subtly bullying him” on the set of The Deb after the incident with Ms. Ghost in September 2023.
The friend wrote that MacInnes was devastated by his subsequent social media posts.
MacInnes claims his professional reputation was ruined by allegations that he was unreliable and prioritized his own career over the 300 cast and crew who worked on The Deb.
But Wilson’s lawyer, Dauid Sibtain SC, said in his opening statement that MacInnes had not caused any damage to his career since his social media posts.
Deb was released in Australia in early April after legal issues prevented widespread release following its 2024 film festival premiere.
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