Sydney, Australia - Australian star Rebel Wilson dismissed claims she bullied women on the set of her directorial debut film The Deb as "nonsense" in a Sydney court on Tuesday.
Wilson – star of Hollywood hits including Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect – is being accused of defamation by actor Charlotte MacInnes.
The claims center around Instagram posts and comments by Wilson suggesting MacInnes changed an account of having been a victim of sexual harassment to advance her career.
The federal court case focuses on an incident during which MacInnes and Amanda Ghost, a producer of The Deb, shared a bath in an apartment after swimming at Bondi Beach.
"It felt like she was making a sexual harassment complaint to me," Wilson told the court on Tuesday, according to Australian national broadcaster ABC, referring to communication she had with MacInnes.
An affidavit from Ghost tendered in court on Tuesday described how she and MacInnes had swum at the beach in the early evening of September 2023, returning to her apartment feeling cold. Per the statement, the pair got into a hot bath while wearing swimming costumes to warm up.
"It was an oversized bath, with plenty of room for two people to sit without touching (and we didn't touch)," Ghost said in the statement
Two days later, Wilson called Ghost to say MacInnes had felt uncomfortable about the bath.
MacInnes has denied saying that to Wilson and has told the court Wilson had shamed her in front of 11 million followers on Instagram.
On Tuesday, Wilson denied that she mistreated women while making The Deb, and called the claims "nonsense." She told the court she had made truthful statements about MacInnes and Ghost.