I have to give Elle UK some credit. They did two covers for Rebel Wilson, one of them “typical” for a plus-sized woman and one of them atypical. It seems that whenever a major fashion/beauty magazine deigns to put a plus-sized woman on their cover, they do “the Adele Special,” which is basically just a very closely cropped headshot, lest the general public be grossly offended at the mere sight of a woman larger than a size-2 on the cover of a major magazine. So, Elle UK did one cover which is just a headshot, but then they did a full-length shot of Rebel on a second cover. Good. Of course, on the second cover, you can barely see her face. So… baby steps, people.

Rebel is promoting Pitch Perfect 2: Rise of the Bellas (that’s totally what they should have called it) and her interview is… different than what I was expecting. She’s funny and interesting in real life, but I guess I’m always surprised that in real life, she’s much more sedate. Some highlights:

Why she decided to become an actress: “I was in Mozambique [on a] trip. I caught malaria and the medicines caused a hallucination. I dreamt I won an Oscar for acting. I know it sounds stupid, but it was so real and I just knew then it would happen. When I came back, everyone was like: “Rebel, you can’t be an actress because you’re so smart,” but I was sure.”

How she works within a rigged system: ‘How I see it is, I do two types of job: dream jobs like female-driven comedies and the other job, which is basically the boys’ club. I have done three big movies with men – these are talented, strong-minded males, but you have to find a way to work that system. You aren’t being paid much and you start at a disadvantage with the script. Usually, you don’t have any cool jokes and you’re there to support the male actor. Those male roles are 90% written and formed by the time the filming starts but the female roles are only 20% there. It’s unfair, but I love being funny so I improve the role, work with the limited parameters and opportunities and maximise them.’

Crush it: ‘If you are a woman in that situation you work harder, sharpen your skills more; you need to be two or three times as good as the guys. I just go in there and try and crush it.’

Fashion: ‘I am the type of girl with zero fashion sense but I am getting into it now. It’s becoming important for me. I saw a lot of girls were beginning to notice what I wear and I feel a kind of responsibility, because there aren’t any women in Hollywood my size and age.’

She’s healthy: ‘You need to be physically strong for this job. I like to have the stamina to work 16 hours a day. I may eat a lot, but I am very healthy.’

[From Elle UK]

If you look at Rebel’s IMDB page, you see the diversity in film projects she’s taken on over the past five years. She’s gotten to be breakout star in some movies (Pitch Perfect) and she’s just come in as the quickie guest-star cameo-type in some movies. It’s smart, because she’s always working and always building her network. I like Rebel and I want good things for her and I want to believe that she’ll find a way to build a long-term career for herself.

Photos courtesy of Elle UK, WENN.