“I think you should be able to play any role that you want,” the ‘Pitch Perfect’ star said during the latest episode of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Desert Island Discs’
Rebel Wilson thinks actors should be able to play straight or gay roles no matter their sexuality.
During the latest episode of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Wilson, 44, was asked by host Lauren Laverne whether she thinks women can “get away with different things to men” when it comes to “edgy” jokes.
“I’ve definitely said a lot of edgy jokes, and said them sometimes in very public places like the BAFTAs,” the Pitch Perfect star responded, referencing some of the jokes she made during her 2022 hosting stint.
“I don’t think there’s a different standard, it’s more this thing about – if you are something then now you’re allowed to joke about it. So say, if you are overweight, you can say jokes. But if you’re not… that’s kind of what’s currently happening. So it’s not really gendered,” she continued.
Discussing whether she sees that as a good thing or restrictive, Wilson shared, “I think that’s hard. It’s going into this territory of like saying, ‘Well, only straight actors can play straight roles, and gay actors can play gay roles,’ which I think is total nonsense.”
“I think you should be able to play any role that you want. But I always think, in comedy, your job is to always flirt with that line of what’s acceptable. Sometimes you do step over it but, at the end of the day, you are trying to entertain people,” she added.
Wilson — who went Instagram official with her now-fiancée Ramona Agruma in June 2022 after opening up in May of that year about her new partner — insisted, “If people are just always being safe and protective, you’re not going to get good comedy from that.”
The star’s latest comments come after she made headlines in April following the release of her tell-all book, Rebel Rising: A Memoir.
In the book, Wilson spoke about her first in-person meetup with Agruma, 40, after the pair were connected “via text by our mutual friend, [Australian actor] Hugh Sheridan.”
In an excerpt shared in March, Wilson shared, “She sets up our first date for a few hours after I land: lunch at the Hotel Bel-Air [in Los Angeles].”
“I’m so nervous. I’m also worried that if Ramona and I do hit it off, I don’t have much sexual experience with a woman. And I’ve only had time to read half of the Girl Sex 101 book,” she added, saying they didn’t really end up eating anything and instead went “to the bathroom” to “make out.”
“‘I think you need to come back to my house,’ I say. I’ve never just invited someone straight back home, but I’m only in L.A. for the week,” Wilson continued.
“I take her to my bedroom. We just … connect. It feels beautiful,” the Australian actress added.
Wilson welcomed her daughter Royce Lillian via surrogate in November 2022, before she popped the question to Agruma on Valentine’s Day 2023.
In August, Wilson gave an update on wedding plans, saying that she and her fiancé have to “compromise” between the big celebration she wants and the more intimate affair Agruma would prefer.
