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Rebel Wilson family supports “bogan” claims

But Wilson admits to lobbying to wipe an online article in a bid to keep her age a mystery.

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The mother of Rebel Wilson told the Supreme Court of Victoria her actress daughter grew up in the north-western Sydney suburb of Castle Hill.

“Yes, I accept I’m a bogan. I live in the western suburbs of Sydney,” teacher and dog breeder Sue Bownds said.

Wilson’s mother told the court her daughter had been a fantastic scholar at the private Tara Anglican School for Girls in Parramatta and was focused on getting a tertiary entrance score above 99.

She said she had initially wanted to name her daughter Rebel after a former student who had sung at her wedding.

“Why was the name not included (on the birth certificate papers)?” asked lawyer Matthew Collins QC.

“Because my husband and my parents believed it wasn’t a suitable name and I bent to the pressure,” she said.

Wilson’s sister Annaleise, 25, also gave evidence on Wednesday, claiming she was often referred to as Annarchi. She described her family as being of “lower middle class”.

Wilson, in her seventh day in the witness box, hit out at Bauer Media saying they had continued to bully and harass her in the lead up to the trial.

“They know I’m not a liar … it’s shameful, I can’t believe they sit here and try and fight this case, and fight me. They bully and intimidate me. I can’t describe how hurtful it is. I can’t put it into exact words.

“They know I haven’t made up stories, they know I’m an authentic candid person. That’s why I’m popular in America. I didn’t have to invent anything.”

Earlier this week Wilson said she asked Fairfax Media boss Greg Hywood to remove an online article so she could sustain the mystery surrounding her age.

Hywood had offered assistance after meeting Wilson who was an ambassador for Fairfax / Nine-owned Stan.

She emailled him to say: “I have a small issue that I was hoping you can help me with and was alerted to it by my US publicity team.”

Wilson said she was advised by her agents and publicists when she moved to Los Angeles not to tell journalists her age.

The trial continues.

Source: The Guardian, Herald Sun, Fairfax, The Australian

9 Responses

  1. I grew up in Castle Hill in the 1980s and 1990s – it was a very nice comfortable middle class neighbourhood with generous block sizes and quite good schools and services (except for maybe public transport) with mostly professional and middle management types as residents – hardly struggle street…

    1. Describing themselves as ‘bogan’ or ‘lower middle class’ doesn’t necessarily mean they were on struggle street. They’re just saying they were (maybe still are) a little rough around the edges, again something Rebel and her family have never shied away from.

  2. I hope this all blows up in her face, her career is certainly over she may be lucky to get a role on neighbours or home and away, she has ruined her own career by lying.

    1. @shaneross, News flash, most people in the entertainment business lie about their age to either get better roles or prolong their careers.

  4. Don’t forget her other siblings, Liberty and Ryot (Ryan), who both appeared in the first season of Aus The Amazing Race. I think I see a pattern here…

  5. It’s standard in the industry for actresses to wipe 5 – 7 years off their age. Otherwise their careers can be cut short so prematurely due to the aging bias against women. I’ve been aware of this since the seventies, so always take an actress’s stated age with a pinch of salt. Maybe it’s easier to uncover the fudging these days, but it’s still standard practice and just common sense when you see how many of them are ‘disappeared’ over age 39, even the major stars. Anyone who keeps working, or who doesn’t undergo a lengthy career lull from 40 to say 60, is an outlier. A list stars tend to hold out better, but even for them roles ‘dry up’. This of course is not a problem for the craggy, baggy old men!

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