Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in Rebel Wilson's directorial debut 'The Deb', has issued a concerns notice to Wilson, threatening legal action for defamation in Western Australia. The notice, sent on Thursday, centres on Instagram posts Wilson made about MacInnes's interactions with a film producer.
In a July 2024 Instagram video, Wilson alleged 'inappropriate behaviour towards the lead actress', and later posted stories claiming MacInnes had complained of sexual harassment during filming. One story said MacInnes was asked by a producer to stay in the same apartment and to 'have a bath and shower with her', which made her uncomfortable. Wilson claimed MacInnes later changed her story after being employed by the producer in a lead role and given a record label.
MacInnes denies making those claims and says the imputations are 'false and seriously defamatory'. Her lawyers argue that Wilson knew them to be false because MacInnes told the Daily Mail in September 2024 there was 'no truth to them'. The notice also alleges harm from posts on 'The Deb' Instagram account, which showed MacInnes on a yacht in Cannes and accused her of lying to block the film's release.
This dispute adds to the legal saga surrounding 'The Deb', which premiered at the Toronto film festival but remains unreleased. Three producers are suing Wilson for defamation in the US over her claims of theft, bullying and sexual misconduct, while a production company has filed a lawsuit in NSW, accusing Wilson of sabotaging the film's release. Wilson has countersued and denies the allegations.
