EXCLUSIVERebel Wilson slams Sacha Baron Cohen and The Deb producers' lawsuit and claims she has 'substantial proof' of their 'blatant lies'
- The Deb producers claimed Rebel, 44, 'shirked' her directorial duties on set
- The Pitch Perfect actress reportedly has solid evidence to dispel accusations
- Do you know more? Email [email protected]
Rebel Wilson has fired back at producers of her latest film The Deb for a defamation lawsuit they filed against her last month involving Sacha Baron Cohen, insisting she has 'substantial proof of their blatant lies.'
The fallout began on July 2 when Rebel, 44, posted a video on Instagram accusing producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden of 'blocking' her film from the Toronto International Film Festival, engaging in 'inappropriate behavior towards a lead actor' and 'embezzling funds from the film's budget.'
In response, the trio filed a defamation suit for $35,000, accusing her of 'bullying staff,' 'vindictive behavior' and 'shirking her responsibilities' as a director on the film.
She was also accused of 'disappearing from set for extended periods... and falsely claiming writing credits’ from Hannah Reilly, the young writer she hired.
Rebel Wilson is being sued for defamation by producers from her film The Deb for scathing remarks she made on Instagram last month (pictured in the UK in April)
The lawsuit was amended to include the debacle between Rebel, 44, and Sacha Baron Cohen, 52, (pictured) that erupted over 'sexual harassment' claims made in her memoir Rebel Rising
In an amendment to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com, the producers have now cited Rebel's allegations against Sacha, 52, that she made in her autobiography Rebel Rising earlier this year.
They claimed the 'false' allegations were 'used to promote the sale of her book', as she 'hypocritically played the victim in order to elicit public sympathy in the hope that it would advance her professional self-interest.'
DailyMail.com has learned exclusively from sources close to Rebel that she has 'substantial proof of their blatant lies' - proving that she did not fall short on her directorial duties.
Dozens of members of the cast and crew have written statements of support for the actress who they described as 'professional' and 'incredibly supportive' on set.'
Shane Jacobson, who stars in the film, said: 'I found Rebel to be incredibly supportive and collaborative on set not only to myself, but also to those around me during filming and at all other times…I have had the pleasure to work with many great directors over an extended career, and I would be more than happy to put my hand up to be directed my Rebel Wilson again anytime in the future.'
Jane Dawkins, a member of the crew, added: 'As part of the crew who worked closely with you for months. Rebel you were nothing but professional, approachable and a great Director. Treating everyone with respect and so generous with your time with having photo’s w everyone between scenes. We all said it - one of our favorite films to work on! It would be such a shame if this little Aussie film doesn't get screened.'
In addition to the statements - some of which were previously made public by PageSix - the source said that Rebel has 'evidence in the form of photos and video' shot every day of filming, proving that she went 'above and beyond.'
'The shoot for The Deb was October to December last year and Rebel was there every single day,' an insider said. 'She was the director for every scene and went above and beyond. She also worked 16-hour days for most of the days that it was filming.
Rebel claimed that while filming The Brother's Grimbsy in 2016, Sacha would ask her to get naked for scenes despite her 'no nudity' rule (pictured in a scene from the film)
The lawsuit was filed by producers Vincent Holden (left), Gregor Cameron and Amanda Ghost (pictured together right), who branded Rebel a 'malicious bully'
'In addition to the letters, there were photos and video every single day proving she was there. They also shot an EPK every single day to use the footage for promotional purposes.'
Earlier this month, The Deb producers - who are represented by attorney Camille Vasquez - amended their lawsuit to add: 'In her autobiography, Rebel Rising, the actress included false allegations about Sacha Baron Cohen’s alleged inappropriate behavior on the set of the 2016 comedy The Brothers Grimbsy.'
'Rebel successfully used the furor around such allegations to promote the sale of her book. As with this situation, Rebel hypocritically played the victim in order to elicit public sympathy. Rebel has run this playbook one time too many,' the amended complaint read.
Prior to the release of her autobiography Rebel Rising in April, passages from the book were redacted in The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand after Sacha threatened a lawsuit over claims she made in the book.
The Borat actor claimed that all of Rebel's accusations were made up in order to increase sales.
Among them were claims that - while filming The Brothers Grimbsy' - Sacha would ask her to get naked for scenes despite her 'no nudity rule.'
She also claimed that Sacha requested she stick her finger up his a**' because he thought it would make a funny scene in the film, writing that 'it felt like [he] had sexually harassed me.'
According to a separate source, this was a scene in the film and not requested of Rebel in private.
Rebel in a scene from the musical comedy The Deb, which was filmed in Australia last year
Several people who worked on the movie and who were present during the filming of the scene came forward to tell about their experiences on set, supporting Sacha.
They insisted that Rebel approved scripts in advance, confirmed that the 'finger in butt' direction came from the script, and said everyone on set acted professionally.
A friend of Rebel's slammed Sacha's denials as 'blatant lies.'
'Sacha didn't move forward with any lawsuit. If he was able to prove his innocence he would have done so,’ the source said.
'Instead, the entire thing was swept under the rug and forgotten until The Deb producers brought him up in their lawsuit to bring attention to their case.
'This will backfire on them, of course, because of the evidence she has to show that they are lying about their accusations surrounding her involvement in the film. She was so dedicated to this film and the letters and evidence show this.’
Another insider said her presence on set is 'irrelevant' to the matters in the defamation case.
'Any claims about Rebel not being active on the set were never made by the filmmakers,' they said.
'There were stages of the productions that she was involved in and others that she was not. That's irrelevant to this issue being disputed in the defamation case.'
Representatives for Rebel were contacted, as well as attorney's for The Deb producers.
A spokesperson for Sacha told DailyMail.com: 'HarperCollins did not fact check this chapter in the book prior to publication and took the sensible but terribly belated step of deleting Rebel Wilson’s defamatory claims once presented with evidence that they were false.
'Printing falsehoods is against the law in the UK and Australia; this is not a “peculiarity” as Ms. Wilson said, but a legal principle that has existed for many hundreds of years.
'This is a clear victory for Sacha Baron Cohen and confirms what we said from the beginning - that this is demonstrably false, in a shameful and failed effort to sell books.'
The defamation lawsuit brought on by The Deb producers came after Rebel shared an Instagram video that accused the producers of extorting funds and blocking her latest film from debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival.
They responded with the complaint which was filed earlier this month in Los Angeles.
After being called a 'malicious bully' Rebel responded on Instagram to defend her accusations that the producers were secretly pocketing money from the low-budget film.
The legal battle kicked off when Rebel accused the producers of her movie of 'bad behavior' on set, embezzling funds from the film, as she branded them 'vile and disgusting'
'Len Blavatnik, please stop funding and protecting Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden,' she said in a video. 'Clearly these recent press articles and constant retaliations against me for speaking the truth on my small Australian movie are FALSE.
'All I did was tell the truth about these absolute f**kwits - now they launch a bogus defamation suit and bogus articles to inflict further harm.'
Rebel also claimed in her initial video that The Deb producers deprived her of a writing credit on the film.
However, the separate source said that writing credits are given by the Australian Writer's Guild and not by producers.
Boy George, who is friends with Amanda, also waded into the ongoing feud, describing Rebel's claims as 'outrageous and painfully untrue things.'
The Deb, which is Rebel's directorial debut, hits theatres on September 15. The film is set to wrap up the Toronto International Film Festival, which takes place from September 5 until September 15.
The film - an adaptation of Hannah Reilly and Megan Washington's musical, which was originally staged in 2022 at the Rebel Theatre in Sydney - also stars Natalie Abbott.
