Hollywood contracts can be a blessing and a curse. Some people wait for their entire careers to sign their names on the dotted line, while others must compromise their health and safety to land the gig. When Rebel Wilson signed her Pitch Perfect contract, she agreed to terms that went against her best interests and jeopardized her health. It’s easy to say she signed the papers, but when your big break is one signature away, who among us would have the fortitude to resist?
On a new episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Wilson says her Pitch Perfect contract prevented her from losing weight. Wilson played Patricia “Fat Amy” Hobart in the Pitch Perfect trilogy, a role that cast her as the “fat friend” of the singing ensemble.
“I did wait until ‘Pitch Perfect’ seemed like it was over,” Wilson said about her mission to lose weight. “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.”
“I was thinking for awhile that I’d like get healthier,” Wilson added. “I was stereotyped in playing that fat, funny friend, which is so hard because I love those roles. 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.”
Variety reached out to Universal Pictures for a comment about the situation, but they have yet to respond.
Pitch Perfect went on to earn $115 million worldwide, paving the way for two sequels (Pitch Perfect 2, Pitch Perfect 3). The 2002 musical comedy directed by Jason Moore revolves around Beca (Anna Kendrick), a freshman at Barden University cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. Injecting much-needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition. Fans worldwide adore the Pitch Perfect trilogy and were thrilled to show up for the TV series spinoff Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, starring Adam Devine’s Bumper Allen. Peacock renewed the spinoff for a second season in January.
Wilson has shed several pounds since her Pitch Perfect days. She is looking forward to several projects she has lined up, including a role as Lady Capulet in director Timothy Scott Bogart’s Shakespearian musical Verona.
Please read the fine print before you sign any contract, and weigh the dangers of the terms wisely.