Rebel With A Cause

Rebel Wilson Is Breaking Down Hollywood’s Barriers With Humour and a Heart That’s Bigger Than Life.

- Poon Li-wei

When Australian actress Rebel Wilson – who was in character for the movie Pitch Perfect – introduced herself as Fat Amy so that others wouldn’t do it behind her back, it was a hilarious yet unnerving statement that made audiences sit up to take notice of her. Bold, brassy, startlingly real, and an absolute riot on and off screens – just who is this woman who continues to knock Hollywood’s stereotypes out of the park? And is it any wonder? After all, just look at her name.

A LEGAL DISPUTE

It’s certainly a name that has caused many a head to turn – causing quite a stir in the news as she took Bauer Media to court for defamation when the outlet reported that she had lied about several things such as Rebel being her birth name, her age, and having had a poor childhood. This painting of her as a liar purportedly led to Rebel losing out on several roles in Hollywood. Her mother, Sue Bownds, as reported by The Guardian, told the court that the name had been inspired by “a little girl in her Year One class who sang The Carpenters’ We’ve Only Just Begun.” However, despite calling her daughter Rebel for the first six weeks of her life, she eventually buckled under pressure from her husband and family – registering a more conventional name: Melanie Elizabeth Bownds. Still, this tradition of unusual names appears to run in the family what with Rebel’s siblings called Liberty, Annachi, and Ryot. “I wanted my kids to be able to do whatever they wanted to do and stand up for themselves,” Sue explained in court. It was only in 2002 that Rebel legally changed her name to Rebel Wilson.