The new movie "Bachelorette" has already received the inevitable comparisons to "Bridesmaids," but Rebel Wilson, who appeared as Kristen Wiig's roommate in the blockbuster hit and seems to be just about everywhere these days, says the two films are actually "completely different." "Bridesmaids was a studio movie, a very large, colorful cast, and the tone of it is so different," she says. "This was a $3 million small indie movie."
In "Bachelorette," which opens on Friday, Wilson stars as Becky, the bride whose friends say they can't believe she would be the one to get married first. They almost ruin Becky's big day by tearing her dress the night before the wedding. Wilson spoke with the Huffington Post about playing heavier characters, the scene that made her extremely uncomfortable and her sincere love of the movie "Bring It On."
I can imagine people seeing the movie and thinking, “Becky’s really nice. Why is she friends with these girls?”
Becky’s almost the fourth wheel of a group of four girls who’ve been really good friends since high school. But on the pecking order, she might be their designated driver when they go out to parties. I went to an all-girls school in high school, so I have seen that kind of dynamic. There’s always like one girl who’s a little bit not as cool as the others. But I look at Becky, and she is a really cool character. And look at the guy she gets to marry -- one of the most eligible bachelors in New York.
How did this role come about for you?
I think another girl, Casey Wilson, was actually attached to play the role, and she was on a TV show and couldn’t do it. And so they’re like, “Oh my god, who are we gonna get for the bride?” And it was such an interesting role because it’s kind of a dramatic role and the centered, more grounded role, but yet at times she still has to be funny. And then, of course, when I heard Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan were the other three girls, I jumped at the chance.
The other girls in the movie mocked your character and called her “Pig Face.” And in “Pitch Perfect,” your character is Fat Amy. What is your thought process about roles like that? Do you ever hesitate?
When I read the “Pitch Perfect” script and you see instantly that there’s a character called Fat Amy, you think 90 perfect of actresses would look at that and go, “Oh my god, I’m not playing that.” It’s kind of like in stories with scripts where they write in the description that one sister is the uglier sister and one’s the pretty one. And most actresses don’t want to go for the uglier sister. But then I just look at it as a character and think, “Is this a good character?” And in both cases -- they’re completely different characters -- I just went, “I could really do a good job playing that character.” And also I think those characters end up being more endearing. Obviously in “Bachelorette,” it’s because there’s a lot of meanness in the movie, and I think Becky –- even though some of the things she says are also not nice –- is more endearing at the end of the day. Also as a comedian, I think, well, obviously I am overweight, and sometimes you have to use what you’ve got. Like if you’ve got a big nose and there’s a character with a big nose, you’re like, “Why not?” I’m not shy about playing characters like that. But I do like to mix it up, so I wouldn’t want all my characters to somehow be associated with being big.
Leslye Headland's scripts can get really dark. In this movie, there are bulimia jokes and …
There actually was a scene in the original script when Becky was bulimic. And it was so dark. Kirsten and I had a day of rehearsals before we started filming, and we talked about that scene. It’s a disease that lots of people suffer with. It was really kind of glamourizing bulimia, and so we decided to change it. And you see that Reagan [Kirsten Dunst’s character] in the movie obviously had had an issue with bulimia in the past.
Did you go to Leslye and say, “We’re not comfortable with this”?
Yeah, and then she goes, “Well, it’s interesting you say that because the cast of the [Off Broadway] play also said the same thing.” Which is weird when we have a movie about cocaine use and abortions and all this stuff. The bulimia scene was the scene that was too much, but it was a huge monologue that Becky had about -- the best way to describe it was about the euphoric feeling. And I didn’t think we needed it.
You told Jimmy Kimmel how exciting it was to meet Kirsten because you’re a huge fan of “Bring It On.”
I’m not joking about this. I’m a huge fan of it. I just thought it was so cute because we didn’t have cheerleaders in Australia. And yesterday, actually, I was filming a promo thing for the VMAs, and I had to do the cheerleading stuff where the guys lift me up and I fell. So I don’t know how she did it in the movie, but I was obsessed and would carry on about “Bring It On” all day every day. It had really witty dialogue. And I always like movies that have dancing in it.
You tweeted earlier today that you’re at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Have you gotten used to this lifestyle after such a crazy year?
Not quite yet. They just brought up three breakfasts. It is kind of crazy. I guess even though I was really well-known in Australia, when I came to America, nobody knew me. So people do start to recognize you, and it is kind of strange. I still go to the grocery store and stuff, but it is becoming increasingly harder to do that here in L.A. I can’t go outside in my pajamas.
More "Bachelorette":
Isla Fisher Really Enjoys Playing A Party Girl
Related
Before You Go
