By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-23 17:00:12 | Updated at 2024-09-30 13:35:44
6 days ago
The actress at the center of the extraordinary legal spat on set of new film 'The Deb' has been identified by DailyMail.com and she has spoken out against movie director Rebel Wilson, stating 'there is no truth to the allegations'.
DailyMail.com discovered Australian star Charlotte MacInnes, 25, is the woman who was dragged into Wilson's bitter feud with film producers Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron, and Vince Holden over her directorial debut earlier this summer.
Wilson, 44, accused producers of sabotaging the film project, embezzling funds, and sexually harassing the lead star - now revealed to be MacInnes - in a demand letter in June as well as a video shared on her Instagram account in July.
The three producers have since filed a defamation lawsuit against the Australian comedian, slamming her claims as 'fictitious' and having 'no basis in reality.'
They also accuse Wilson of bullying and falsely accusing Ghost of 'inappropriate behavior' towards MacInnes, with Ghost noting in the defamation suit that the actress strongly denied being subjected to such, when asked about Wilson's claims.
DailyMail.com has learned Australian star Charlotte MacInnes, 25, (right) is the woman who was dragged into Rebel Wilson's bitter feud with the producers of her directorial debut, The Deb
Rebel Wilson, pictured with MacInnes (second from right) and other cast members in May 2023, has been sued for defamation after accusing producers of sabotaging her project
Now, a legal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com reveals the feud broke out following a series of disputes over writing credits and Wilson's behavior on set of The Deb, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month.
The producers say that when Wilson 'did not get her way in these disputes', she 'revived a fictitious story about Ms. Ghost sexually harassing a lead actor in 'The Deb' that has absolutely no basis in reality, as the actor that is the subject of this defamatory tale has repeatedly confirmed.
In a statement released to DailyMail.com, MacInnes confirmed she is the actress referred to in the lawsuit and angrily accused Wilson of 'undermining real victims' with her 'false' claims.
She said: 'There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023 and am saying this now to draw a line under it.
'Making false accusations undermines real victims and I won't be the subject of a fabricated narrative.'
Musical comedy The Deb follows the story of farm girl Taylah Simpkins and her city slicker cousin Maeve as they look for dates for an upcoming ball.
The defamation lawsuit was filed by producers Vincent Holden (left), Gregor Cameron and Amanda Ghost (pictured together right), who branded Wilson a 'malicious bully'
Rebel in a scene from the musical comedy The Deb, which was filmed in Australia last year
It marks the first big screen appearance for MacInnes, who plays lead role Maeve and has received glowing reviews for her performance in the film.
Previously, she starred in Australian murder mystery series North Shore and, in May, made her US stage debut in the role of Daisy in a musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
But the film's premiere has been overshadowed by the feud, with Wilson hitting back at the producers in an Instagram video in July after news of the lawsuit emerged, telling followers: 'It's not defamation if it's the TRUTH (those 'producers' who I mentioned in my last post have just filed a defamation suit against me...'
She had previously dubbed them 'vile and disgusting', accused them of 'bad behavior' and doubled down on her embezzlement claims.
The current case centers on a dispute about writing credits on The Deb and accuses her of bullying behavior on set.
In the complaint, seen by DailyMail.com, Wilson is accused of bullying behavior and unreasonable demands, as well as fabricating the story about MacInnes.
It reads: '[Wilson] has a history of fabricating false and malicious lies to hide her own lack of professionalism and advance her own self-interest.
The film's premiere has been overshadowed by the feud, with Wilson doubling down on her claims in an Instagram video in July
Wilson posed with some of the cast and crew at the red carpet premiere of the film at the Toronto Film Festival on September 14
MacInnes previously starred in Australian murder mystery series North Shore and, in May, made her US stage debut in the role of Daisy in a musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby
'This lawsuit is about holding Rebel accountable for her attempts to bully Plaintiffs into conceding to her unreasonable demands by spreading vicious lies without regard for the irreparable damage her reckless words would cause on the hard-earned personal and professional reputations of Plaintiffs.'
'For years, Rebel has played the affable funny girl on the big screen and, off screen, portrayed herself as a champion of other female artists and whistleblower against abusive conduct within the film industry.
'This public persona, however, is a farce. Rebel is a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own.'
According to the lawsuit, Wilson hired a young writer - Hannah Reilly - to develop a screenplay for The Deb - before allegedly attempting to steal credit for herself.
The suit continues: 'She granted a young artist a scholarship to develop a screenplay for 'The Deb' (the 'Film'), and then tried to claim writing credit for herself.
'And, when Rebel did not get her way in business negotiations with the Plaintiffs concerning 'The Deb' (including the writing credit), Rebel tried to intimidate Plaintiffs into giving her what she wanted by leveraging her persona and platform, with many millions of followers, to spread malicious lies about the Plaintiffs.'
The plaintiffs allege they 'took a chance on Rebel' who is a 'novice' to directing and producing but claim 'she flatly refused to collaborate with Plaintiffs' and exhibited 'reckless conduct.'
In her memoir Rebel Rising, the Australian actress, 44, made shock claims about her experience filming The Brothers Grimsby with 'a**hole' comedian Sacha Baron Cohen - which he strenuously denied
The court battle over The Deb follows a controversy earlier this year over a chapter in Wilson's memoir, Rebel Rising, in which she claimed Sasha Baron Cohen harassed her on the set of The Brothers Grimsby.
The 44-year-old, who played Baron Cohen's girlfriend Dawn in the film, accused him of making her uncomfortable with repeated requests for nudity and asking 'Rebel, can you just stick your finger up my butt?' during a skit.
After Baron Cohen, 52, described the claims as 'demonstrably false' and threatened to call the lawyers in, the book was published with redactions in the UK to avoid falling foul of the country's notoriously tough libel and defamation laws.
Wilson has also previously been accused of lying about her age and upbringing.
She was eventually forced to admit she was six years older than she had claimed but sued a number of Australian magazines in May 2016 for defamation, saying they had painted her as a 'serial liar'.
She won the case and, in September 2017, was awarded $4.5million AUD ($3million USD, £2.3million GBP) in damages, although she was later forced to return $4.1millionAUD ($2.7 USD, £2million GBP) plus $600,000 AUD ($408,600 USD, £306,973 GBP) in interest following an appeal.
