Details emerge of Rebel Wilson’s misconduct accusation against Sacha Baron Cohen
After Rebel Wilson revealed that English actor Sacha Baron Cohen has allegedly been trying to stop the publication of her upcoming memoir, Rebel Rising, further details about the alleged situation have now come to light.
Wilson initially posted on Instagram that a “massive asshole” was trying to stop her book from being released due to accusations made against him within the pages. Then she told her followers that she was referring to Cohen, who she appeared alongside in Brothers Grimsby in 2016.
Now, People has shared an excerpt from Rebel Rising, which documents the offensive behaviour that Cohen reportedly exhibited towards Wilson.
The actor details her experience of working with Cohen on Brothers Grimsby, which he also co-wrote with Phil Johnston and Peter Baynham. According to Wilson, there were several incidents that made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Wilson began by stating that Cohen constantly pressured her to take her clothes off. “It felt like every time I’d speak to SBC, he’d mention that he wanted me to go naked in a future scene. I was like, ‘Ha, I don’t do nudity, Sacha,'” the Australian writes.
The star then accused Cohen of pulling his trousers down in front of her and saying, “very matter-of-factly,” that he wanted her to “stick [her] finger up [his] ass.”
“I was now scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the ass and improvised a few lines as the character,” she added.
Despite Wilson’s claims, representatives for Cohen, alongside several crew members, have disputed these events, claiming that they never happened in the way that the Australian actor has revealed.
One unnamed producer told People: “As per the script, which Rebel had read and approved in advance, her character was attempting to put a finger in Sacha’s character’s butt. At no point did Sacha actually ask her to put a finger in his butt.”
A representative for Cohen released a statement which read: “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence.” They also denied trying to stop Wilson’s book from being released.
However, Wilson backs up her claims by stating that she sought legal advice during the production. She was allegedly told to “be professional and finish the film.” The actor claims she tried to “laugh it off,” but as filming continued, she realised that she still felt highly uncomfortable.
“It really sank in that all this wasn’t something that could be laughed off. I relayed to the producers that I would not be doing any promotion for the film,” she added.
This is a developing story.
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