Rebel Wilson has been hit with a legal notice from a castmate in her film-directing debut.
Charlotte MacInnes, who plays the lead role in the Wilson-helmed movie musical The Deb, sent the Pitch Perfect star a concerns notice in Australia on Thursday accusing her of defamation amid an ongoing legal battle related to the film’s release.
In the document, which Entertainment Weekly has reviewed, the actress claims that Wilson defamed her by alleging that MacInnes was the victim of sexual misconduct perpetrated by The Deb producer Amanda Ghost.
According to the document, MacInnes repeatedly denied that any such misconduct occurred, which subsequently prompted Wilson to claim that the actress “changed her story” in order to continue a professional relationship with the producer, as MacInnes received a record deal and was cast in Ghost’s production of Gatsby.
Representatives for Wilson didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
MacInnes’ attorneys argue that she suffered “serious harm to reputation” when Wilson allegedly publicly accused her of dishonesty and covering up sexual harassment to advance her career. “Publicly disclosing our client’s name as an alleged victim of sexual harassment, without her consent, and then accusing her of lying about it as justification for identifying her,” the attorneys argue, was “improper, unjustified and lacking in bona fides.”
Wilson will have 28 days to offer a correction or apology before formal legal action begins.
The notice comes in the midst of a broader legal dispute between Wilson and The Deb‘s producers. Wilson accused Ghost, as well as producer Gregor Cameron and executive producer Vince Holden, of “bad behavior” on social media last year, and claimed that the three were intentionally sabotaging The Deb‘s release.
The trio then filed a defamation suit against Wilson in California, claiming that she “flatly refused to collaborate with Plaintiffs, absconded from the Film for months at a time, behaved unprofessionally with employees of the Film, and repeatedly made unauthorized and improper disclosures about the Film.”
Wilson filed a countersuit against the trio last September, accusing the filmmakers of sexual misconduct, bullying, and theft during production.
Around this time, MacInnes gave a statement to the Daily Mail denying any allegations involving her. “There is no truth to the allegations made involving me,” she said. “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.” She added, “Making false accusations undermines real victims and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”
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Last month, The Guardian and other outlets reported that one of the production companies behind the movie, AI Films, sued Wilson in a separate lawsuit in New South Wales. AI Films accused Wilson of making defamatory statements about the company.
In addition to MacInnes and Wilson, the cast of The Deb includes Natalie Abbott, Stevie Jean, Brianna Bishop, Karis Oka, and Hal Cumpston. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year but has yet to receive a wide release.
