AUSTRALIAN actress Rebel Wilson (pictured) followed up a noticeable appearance in Bridesmaids with several roles which bagged her a mention by Variety as one of the top comics to watch in 2011.
But, it was her role as Fat Amy (a moniker the character gives herself) in the first Pitch Perfect movie that earned her several award nominations.
Speaking at a Pitch Perfect 2 press junket in Los Angeles, Wilson explained that she chose to do the music comedy because it was something she would want to watch.
“It had singing, dancing and heaps of great character comedy,” said Wilson.
She trained in musical theatre at the Australian Theatre for Young People and was actually in an a capella group in high school “that was way more dorkier than the Bellas” and she hopes her Broadway debut isn’t too far down the track.
The 35-year-old thinks the fun the actors had on set translated onto the screen, especially since they were allowed to improvise, and this carries on through into the second film.
Wilson loves creating her own jokes and director Elizabeth Banks allowed the actors free rein to try new things: “Some takes are crap when you’re improvising and go completely off point but others are genius… you have to throw out some duds and then bam, that magical joke that people are going to later quote comes out of your mouth. I’m just sorry that more of the improv can’t make it into the movie… there’s a lot of great stuff that has been cut.”
The sequel starts as her character embarrasses the group which then falls from their position as the US a capella champions.
“Yes, it kind of is the fault of my character for not wearing any underwear at that performance. But also, at the start of the second movie, the Bellas as a whole have perhaps focused too much on winning and thus deviated from their core values.”
As a senior, her character is facing different challenges to the first film , but she was still an easy personality to play: “I love that she has good energy, is loyal and in a way also weirdly confident, which is something I think we have in common. She has a lot of sass and is a great performer because she’s bursting with confidence. She’s loyal to her friends but is also kind of the truth-teller, which sometimes gets her into a bit of drama in the group, but she means well.”
The moment in the movie that resonated most with Wilson was when the Barden Bellas finally get their harmony back.
“There is a scene at a campfire that we filmed until 5am – we were really tired – our genuine emotions came through. I love being a part of this group.”
Universal Studios