Rebel Wilson Gets Candid About the Attention She Received After Losing Weight
The 'Pitch Perfect' actress lost 80 lbs. following her "year of health" in 2020.
Rebel Wilson is opening up about getting "quite a lot of attention" for her weight loss. After the Pitch Perfect actress, 44, dropped 80 lbs. amid her "year of health" in 2020, Wilson spoke to PEOPLE about how her changing body captivated the public more than any of her career achievements ever had.
Deciding to lose weight over the course of a year in order to help her have a better chance at freezing healthy eggs for IVF, Wilson said as the pounds began to fall off, she got more and more interest. "I was getting quite a lot of attention for the weight loss," said the actress, whose upcoming memoir Rebel Rising comes out April 2. "I thought, 'Gosh, people are so intrigued by this.' Literally, I got more attention for weight loss than any movie I'd ever done."
"I know that's superficial, but it was nice. And I went, 'Oh, is this what hot people experience all the time?' Their life must be so bloody blessed," she added with a laugh, explaining that people would hold the door for her and pay more attention to her in situations like shopping. It was that kind of "positive reinforcement" that kept Wilson going at times, keeping up with her healthy habits.
"It was interesting to know exactly what it's like to be invisible sexually and then to be visible," she continued of experiencing life at different sizes. "I've experienced both sides of the coin."
The Senior Year actress also spoke with The Sunday Times ahead of her memoir release, telling the publication that she had used the popular, yet controversial weight loss drug Ozempic briefly in order to maintain her lower weight. "Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good," Wilson said, confirming that she no longer is taking Ozempic.
Losing weight was a big step when it came to Wilson's journey to motherhood – the actress is now mom to daughter Royce, 16 months. But she admitted that "basically no one" other than her mom wanted her to take that big step. "People thought I'd lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that," she explained.
Even after going through such public speculation about her weight, Wilson added, "I feel strongly that young women shouldn't try to obsess over looking like Victoria's Secret models – they should just look like themselves," noting that she's happy with her "still curvy and solid" weight today.