Rebel Wilson's claims against actress are 'malicious concoctions', Australian court hears
Wilson has been accused of defaming the star of her film The Deb over an incident involving a bath in Bondi.
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Lana LamSydney
Watch: Rebel Wilson arrives at court for defamation case
Claims by Rebel Wilson that a young Australian actress was sexually harassed by a producer but then hid it to better her career are "malicious concoctions", a Sydney court heard on the first day of a defamation case against the star.
Charlotte MacInnes is suing Wilson over social media posts she says defamed her by suggesting she withdrew her complaint to further her career.
In 2024 and 2025, Wilson posted on Instagram that MacInnes - who stars in Wilson's film The Deb - felt "uncomfortable" after sharing a bath with one of its female producers.
The Pitch Perfect star claimed MacInnes retracted a complaint - which MacInnes denies making - in exchange for a major theatre role and a record deal.
MacInnes says the allegations have tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty, and is seeking damages.
Lawyers for MacInnes have said she made no complaint to Wilson about the bath incident but that Wilson later used it as "leverage" in a dispute with producers about the film's budget and contracts.
On the first day of the case, the court saw a series of private texts between Wilson, the producer Amanda Ghost and MacInnes as well as detailed emails about the bath and alleged sexual harassment.
The incident happened on 5 September 2023 when MacInnes and Ghost went for a late afternoon swim at Bondi Beach.
Ghost had an allergic reaction to the water, known as cold urticaria, breaking out in red welts and shaking uncontrollably, the court heard.
The pair went back to Ghost's beachside apartment with MacInnes running a hot bath for Ghost, who had got into a shower to warm up.
Both later got into the bath – described by MacInnes' legal team as "oversized" – with both wearing their swimsuits.
They "were not even touching at all", Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court.
Ghost's assistant made hot drinks for the pair and sat with them in the bathroom for a short while.
The next day, Wilson spoke to MacInnes who told her she felt uncomfortable about the bath incident, according to Wilson, who then raised it with Ghost.
But when Wilson discussed it with MacInnes again a couple of days later, the young actress said this was not what she had said, Chrysanthou said.
A text message sent by Wilson to the producer Ghost and shown to the court read: "Charlotte says all good. She just meant 'it was a bizarre situation' not that she personally felt uncomfortable."
That night, they all went to a Boy George concert, the court heard.
The allegations that she was sexually harassed by Ghost but then retracted her complaint to further her career were "completely false, fantasy, malicious concoctions", Chrysanthou said.
Reuters
Charlotte MacInnes is suing Rebel Wilson for defamation over a series of Instagram posts
However Wilson's lawyer Dauid Sibtain said that MacInnes lied by denying she had complained to Wilson "to ensure that her career as an actress and musician progressed by appeasing Ms Ghost".
Sibtain said since the film, MacInnes has starred in a theatre production in the US and released a single, with another to "drop any day now".
"She's suffered no harm to her reputation, indeed, her career has progressed," he said.
"All of these wealth of prizes and opportunities that have materialised has come, we would suggest, because Ms MacInnes decided to tie herself to Ms Ghost's version."
"MacInnes lied by denying she had made a complaint to Ms Wilson, that a producer had asked her to have a bath and shower with her and it made her feel uncomfortable," Dauid Sibtain said.
In one post from September 2024 Wilson wrote: "The fact that this girl has been employed now by this 'producer' in the lead role of a production called GATSBY (ART Boston) and given a record label – should be all the proof you need as to why she has now changed her story."
MacInnes, who graduated from a Western Australian acting academy in 2021, plays one of the two lead characters in The Deb, a musical comedy set in the Australian outback, having starred in a theatre production of the play in 2022. The movie was released in Australia this month.
Wilson, who also appeared in the hit film Bridesmaids, is facing two other court cases, one in Australia where the film's producers allege contract breaches, and another in the US over claims Wilson defamed the producers and where Wilson is countersuing.
The trial in Sydney that began on Monday is expected to continue for nine days.
