Rebel Wilson is known for her over-the-top absurd roles, and thanks to her iconic character in Pitch Perfect, she became a household name. But after many conversations surrounding her weight, Wilson revealed that she was contractually obligated to maintain a certain look while she was starring in the films.
Wilson was featured on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast (via IndieWire) when she detailed the surprising clause in her Pitch Perfect contract. “I couldn’t lose a massive amount of weight, because I was in the contract for that movie,” Wilson stated. The actress portrayed Fat Amy (looking back, that name was certainly a choice) in the hit comedy/a capella franchise, which spawned three films and a series.
But Wilson was forbidden to lose weight in order to keep the role of Fat Amy. She explained, “You can’t lose, I think it’s not more than 10 pounds, or gain more than 10 pounds. Yeah, you have to kind of stay at the weight. It’s in your contract.” The actress added that she began to be typecast as similar characters after her breakout role in Pitch Perfect.
“I was stereotyped in playing that fat, funny friend, which is so hard because I love those roles,” she explained. “I love doing the roles. I love those characters. But then I did want to do more things, and I felt like being the bigger girl you’re just more pigeonholed.”
Even though Wilson was discouraged from taking control of her own body, she was later able to lose weight after a doctor suggested it would be better for her fertility journey. “It really hit me hard, because I was living a fantastic bigger life,” she admitted. The actress then made headlines for her weight loss after Pitch Perfect wrapped.
Most recently, Wilson has been stepping away from those stereotyped roles. She starred in the indie drama The Almond and the Seahorse last year before welcoming a daughter with her partner last fall via surrogate. Maybe one day she can stop by the Pitch Perfect series again as just “Amy.”