Rebel Wilson's weight loss rule - star reveals bizarre stipulation in her contract that controlled her body image

Rebel Wilson's weight loss rule was allegedly laid down in the contract for the Pitch Perfect film franchise, which featured one of her best-loved characters.

Previously, Rebel Wilson shared the reason she lost weight after playing 'Fat Amy' in the enormously successful Pitch Perfect movie series, which began in 2012. Unsurprisingly, knowing how funny the actor is - this was largely all jokes.

However, the Australian star opened up about the brutal restraints of Hollywood and even claims that she was contractually obliged to stay a certain weight.

While appearing on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, Rebel opened up about her body transformation and the many factors involved in her choosing this path - including professional pressures.

The actor was asked a question that's unfortunately often asked of stars that don't fit a very specific appearance - did she feel limited in professional opportunities after starring in Pitch Perfect?

“I did wait until Pitch Perfect seemed like it was over,” said Rebel, addressing her physical changes. “I couldn’t lose a massive amount of weight because it was in the contracts for that movie. You can’t lose - I think it’s not more than 10 pounds or gain more than 10 pounds. You have to kind of stay at the weight. It’s in your contract.”

The star explained that her main focus was health. "I had been thinking for a while like, ‘Oh, I want to get healthier,’" she continued - but that wasn't her only reason.

She also added that professionally, she felt limited in who she could play in movies. "I was stereotyped in playing that fat, funny friend, which is so hard because I love those roles," she said. "I love doing the roles, I love those characters. But then I did want to do more things, but I felt like being the bigger girl, you’re just more pigeonholed.”

The lack of size diversity on the silver screen is crystal clear and despite the much-welcomed push towards body positivity, fatphobia is still rife in the film industry. It's one of the countless contributors to societal acceptance of fatphobia - which is a hugely damaging problem.

According to one paper, from the University of Illinois Chicago, "decades of research have shown that experiencing weight stigma increases one’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, discrimination, bullying, eating disorders, sedentariness, lifelong discomfort in one’s body, and even early death."

Rebel Wilson's low impact exercise and lifestyle changes were lead by her desire to be more healthy, but she's been outspoken about the fact that she's offered more roles now.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter back in December 2022, the star discussed how her professional net has grown somewhat of late. "Unfortunately, in Hollywood, people need to see you differently in order to cast you differently or give you new opportunities," she said. 

"There are always some directors who are not like that, and they can imagine a comedic actress being a serious actress but others need to see it first. The physical transformation helped with that, for me, but it’s too early to tell still. We’ll see how it goes."