“I felt ashamed of myself”: Rebel Wilson opens up about her experience on The Brothers Grimsby set

Rebel Wilson recently shared more details about working with Sacha Baron Cohen on the set of their 2016 film The Brothers Grimsby. Following a social media post where she referred to Cohen as an “a**hole”, the Pitch Perfect star discussed feeling disrespected during an interview with The Sunday Times on March 31, 2024. She recounted her experience returning to the set for re-shoots:

“The fact that I then went back… I felt ashamed of myself. Why do I have such low self-worth?”

The interview provided further insight into Wilson’s experience while filming the movie. In the past, the actress had mentioned her difficult experience working with a difficult individual on her Instagram account while promoting her memoir Rebel Rising. After facing legal threats, Rebel Wilson revealed that this individual was actually Sacha Baron Cohen, her co-star in The Brothers Grimsby.

Rebel Wilson speaks out about her experience on The Brothers Grimsby set

Despite Rebel Wilson teasing about working with an “a**hole”in an Instagram video promoting her book Rebel Rising on March 15, fans immediately began speculating about the person’s identity. However, they didn’t have to wait for the memoir’s release to learn the name of this individual.

A couple of days after, Wilson alleged that the legal team of this person was threatening her. In her Instagram story, she stated that he was attempting to prevent the release of information about her new book. Despite the threats, Wilson appeared unfazed and proceeded to disclose the person’s identity on March 25, writing:

“I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers. The ‘a**hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is Sacha Baron Cohen.”

Rebel Wilson portrayed the role of Dawn Grobham, the love interest of Noddy, portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, in the comedy movie The Brothers Grimsby. In a tweet from 2017, the actress revealed that she had experienced inappropriate behavior from Baron on the set. Additionally, in an earlier radio interview on Kiis FM in 2014, she stated that he had requested her to remove her clothes for a scene.

During her interview with The Sunday Times, Rebel Wilson reflected on her time on set and revealed that it was the most negative professional experience she had ever encountered. Despite feeling disrespected, the Bridesmaids star chose not to speak up because she didn’t want to be labeled as a “troublemaker.”She opened up about her ordeal, stating:

“It’s one thing for someone who is fat to exploit their size for comedy, but it’s another for somebody else to humiliate you.”

In addition, she claimed that the film’s costume selections were intentionally designed to emphasize her “cellulite on [her] thighs”and “fattest part of [her] arm.”Rebel described feeling this way:

“…like I was something to be laughed at and degraded because of my size.”

The incident left her feeling “shaken”and it took her several months to regain composure. Despite the film’s release in 2016, she refused to promote it and has not been able to bring herself to watch it, according to Wilson. She also explained the reason for finally sharing her story, stating:

“I’m sharing my story now because the more women talk about things like this, hopefully the less it happens. And hopefully fewer women have to work harder just to respect themselves.”

Despite Sacha Baron Cohen denying her claims in a statement through his representatives on March 25, Rebel Wilson’s memoir Rebel Rising is still set to be released on April 2, 2024.