Rebel Wilson has been blasted over a series of Instagram posts about Charlotte MacInnes where she accuses her of cultural appropriation, blocking The Deb’s release, and ‘flip-flopping’ about sexual harassment claims.
In court on Thursday, Sue Chrysanthou SC pointed to a Daily Mail article featuring a number of scathing posts about MacInnes, by Wilson.
One post featured an image of MacInnes singing a song from The Deb on billionaire Len Blavatnik’s super yacht.
Wilson told the court she received the image from a hate group on Instagram.
Ms Chrysanthou said: ‘So someone who doesn’t like my client sent you a picture of her singing and you felt the need to post about it?’
Wilson said: ‘Yes, obviously I was emotional because it’s a passion project – I worked on The Deb for five years and it wasn’t being sold because of litigation that Charlotte was assisting.’
Ms Chrysanthiou said: ‘So you’re attacking her because you were upset … Do you accept what you did to her in publishing this post?’
Wilson said: ‘No, I don’t.’
Ms Chrysanthou said: ‘OK, well let’s go through it. You accused her of cultural appropriation.’
On the super yacht, MacInnes wore a long, baby blue dress with a sheer scarf over her arms and head.
Wilson said: ‘To me, the outfit looks like a sari and, to my knowledge, Charlotte is not of Indian heritage.’
Ms Chrysanthou said: ‘Do you think it’s OK for a person in your position to attack someone in her position for what she was wearing?’
Wilson said she believed her post to be true.
Ms Chrysanthou continued: ‘There are lots of things about a woman’s appearance that could be true, but it’s utterly inappropriate for someone to comment about it?
‘Is it OK for someone in your position to comment on what someone was wearing at a function?’
Wilson said: ‘I don’t see any problem.’
Ms Chrysanthou pointed out that MacInnes’ outfit was not Indian. Wilson said she believed it was.
She asked whether Wilson accepted the comments about MacInnes were damaging.
Wilson said: ‘Absolutely not, I’m a professional person.’
Ms Chrysanthou asked: ‘Did you just say you’re a professional person?’
‘You put up a Instagram post publicly accusing her of being for sale, in a film where people have invested $22million?’
Wilson said she was been slammed by crisis management firms ’employed by Russian oligarch billionaire’ Len Blavatnik.
Wilson then confirmed that she was paid about $1million for the film, was owed another $500,000, and that she was not living on the poverty line.
