There’s no amount of money that would get Rebel Wilson to work with Sacha Baron Cohen again.
Amid the release of her memoir Rebel Rising, which has made headlines for what she writes about Baron Cohen’s alleged inappropriate behavior while they were filming The Brothers Grimsby, Wilson appeared on Watch What Happens Live, where she played a round of “Plead the Fifth.” “How much money would it take for you to work with Sacha Baron Cohen again?” asked Andy Cohen.
“No money ever,” responded the Pitch Perfect star. “I have now a no a-holes policy with work.” Her remark was applauded by the audience and fellow guest Alison Brie. The host then mentioned a series of high sums to see if Wilson would do it, but the actress stood by her decision.
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Wilson writes that while filming The Brothers Grimsby, Baron Cohen allegedly “pull[ed] his pants down [and said] ‘Okay, now I want you to stick your finger up my ass.’ And I’m like, ‘What?? … No!!’
“I was now scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the ass and improvised a few lines as the character,” Wilson adds.
Wilson additionally writes that she called her agent and spoke to a lawyer after the incident. “I was encouraged to ‘be professional and finish the film,'” she says.
Baron Cohen denied the actress’ recollection of events through a statement shared by his rep with The Hollywood Reporter. It read, “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.”
The Watch What Happens Live host also asked what Wilson would say to Russell Crowe after she alleges in her memoir that he told her to “fuck off” when she approached him and Nicole Kidman at a restaurant. Wilson clarified that she’s spoken with the actor since then and had a much friendlier interaction.
“I told him the story and he’s like, ‘Yeah, that sounds right.’ Because that’s just him,” she said. “He’s an awesome guy and yes, we’ve joked about it since.”
Andy Cohen was additionally curious about Wilson’s comment about Adele in her book, in which she wrote that the singer “hates” her and would turn away whenever they were in the same room. “Why do you think she doesn’t like you?” asked the host.
Wilson explained that when they’ve been at “big parties” such as the Oscars, where everyone was being friendly with each other, the actress would try to congratulate Adele, who would “just turn away.” Wilson noted that she was merely speculating about why the singer doesn’t like her while writing about their interactions in her book but is aware that “there might not be anything there.”
“There was a moment when she was bigger, and some people would confuse us for one another,” Wilson writes in her memoir. “I am assuming, because to be fair I’ve never asked her.”
Adele has yet to comment on Wilson’s claim.
