Rising star claims Rebel Wilson was ‘very difficult to be around’ in the wake of alleged bath complaint: court

An actor suing Rebel Wilson claims it was “very difficult” to be around the A-lister, downplaying rubbing shoulders with her and Cate Blanchett at an awards show as trying to keep things “light hearted” with Ms Wilson, a court has been told.

Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes is suing Ms Wilson after the Hollywood star made a series of social media posts that allegedly implied she walked back a sexual harassment complaint against Amanda Ghost — one of the producers on Ms Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb — to further her career.

Ms MacInnes held back tears as she told the star-studded defamation trial on Thursday the Pitch Perfect actor was “very difficult to be around” in the wake of the alleged complaint.

Ms Wilson’s lawyer Dauid Sibtain SC asked the rising star if she was “under sufferance” when the Hollywood actor introduced her to Australian acting royalty of the likes of Margot Robbie and Cate Blanchett.

“I did what I could to keep it lighthearted,” Ms MacInnes replied.

“It was very difficult to be around Rebel.”

Ms MacInnes denied suggestions she was “having a good time” as a photo of her beaming alongside Ms Wilson and Ms Blanchett backstage at the 2024 AACTA Awards was shown to the court.

“At this point I had learned how to assimilate to these situations,” Ms MacInnes said.

“You were being an actress?” Mr Sibtain asked.

“While Rebel was there, yes,” she answered.

The young actor said she was “learning how to survive my interactions after knowing what had been said about me” when shown another photo with Ms Wilson and other actors taken just weeks after the bath incident.

She denied suggestions she had a “friendly” relationship with the older actor, claiming in parts of her affidavits read to the court that she was just trying to do her job and get through the film.

Rebel complained rising star was ‘rude’: court

Ms Wilson called the young actor “rude” after Ms MacInnes ditched watching the stage production Oklahoma! with her and a group of other actors in May 2023 so she could discuss her future music career with Ms Ghost.

Ms MacInnes agreed that the Hollywood actor was “not happy” after she failed to tell Ms Wilson she would not be attending the musical.

“I am aware she was unhappy, yes,” Ms MacInnes said as the court was told Ms Wilson had “complained to (Ms MacInnes) about (her) rudeness” the following day.

She told Ms Wilson she was “hugely sorry” for her poor communication and offered to pay for the ticket, a text message shown to the court on Thursday revealed.

“You’ve been nothing short of wonderful and you … deserve the same respect and communication,” Ms MacInnes wrote in the text.

The 26-year-old denied suggestions she was “quite happy to effectively ditch” Ms Wilson and other The Deb actors “for the possibility of another one-on-one meeting with Ms Ghost”.

Rebel ‘exploited’ an ‘innocent incident’

Ms MacInnes claimed the bath was “an innocent incident” that Ms Wilson “has exploited and mischaracterised ever since” in a statement read to the court.

She batted away suggestions that a statement she previously made, which did not mention she had actually been in the bath with Ms Ghost, was “highly misleading” and “false” when grilled by Mr Sibtain.

Producer ‘wasn’t talking’ to star after alleged complaint

The young woman said she believed her dreams were coming true as she was whisked around on a superyacht and a billionaire’s private jet, and was to some extent concerned how the bath incident would affect her career.

Ms Ghost had given her “a lot of help” to score a role in the stage production Gatsby, even sending her the audition tape of a woman who did not get the part to help her with her own audition which she had branded as “super confidential”, the court was told.

Ms MacInnes was “very distressed” when the producer began to distance herself from her after the alleged complaint, telling the court that Ms Ghost “wasn’t talking to me”.

Size of bath under scrutiny

A bath that Ms MacInnes shared with Ms Ghost to warm up after the producer allegedly suffered a medical episode at Bondi Beach is the crux of the alleged complaint, with Ms Wilson claiming the 26-year-old told her the September 2023 bath had made her uncomfortable.

Ms MacInnes denies making a complaint and that she “never” said she felt uncomfortable, with the Hollywood star claiming the complaint was withdrawn so Ms MacInnes could secure a lucrative record deal and a role in one of Ms Ghost’s stage productions, Gatsby.

Both women were in their swimmers during the bath following their sunset swim at Bondi Beach.

The size of the bath has been the subject of scrutiny during the trial, with Ms MacInnes asked on Thursday if she would describe it as a “pretty regular sized bath”.

“I would describe it as a large bath,” Ms MacInnes replied.

Her boyfriend, Carlo Boumouglbay, wrote in his affidavit that Ms MacInnes had told him the bath was “huge”, but was unable to recall if she actually used the word “huge” when pressed on the matter by Mr Sibtain while in the witness box on Wednesday.

The trial continues.