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A promising talent in the entertainment industry finds herself at the center of a heated controversy, accused of perjury during her testimony in a contentious defamation case against famed Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson. Both parties have been labeled as dishonest in a case that has captivated the public’s attention.
These sharp criticisms emerged in the final stages of the legal proceedings initiated by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress in the musical comedy The Deb. This project, overseen by Wilson, saw her take on multiple roles as director, co-producer, and star.
MacInnes alleges that Wilson defamed her through a series of social media posts. These posts insinuated that MacInnes is deceitful and opportunistic, accusing her of retracting a sexual misconduct claim to advance her career.
The controversial posts accused MacInnes of confiding in Wilson, only to later withdraw her discomfort after an incident with the film’s co-producer, Amanda Ghost. The narrative suggested that Ghost had invited MacInnes for a shared shower and bath.
MacInnes refutes these allegations, stating she never made or retracted any such complaint. She maintains that there was no discomfort involved when she and Ghost shared a bath, clothed in swimwear, following a medical emergency Ghost experienced in September 2023.
But she gave false evidence under oath to maintain her constructed narrative, Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain SC alleged in the Federal Court on Friday.
One example was her evasiveness when asked about the benefits she received from her connection with Ghost, including a lead role and six-figure record deal, he said.
MacInnes wanted to ensure the producer never thought she made a complaint so she could continue building her career to the “stratospheric heights” she now enjoys, Sibtain contended.
“Ms MacInnes has suffered no harm, let alone serious harm,” he said.
But MacInnes had not had any acting roles since she starred in a stage production that had been secured before the social media posts, her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC argued.
“My client has been unable to eat, unable to sleep, has been distressed … (she) fears what Rebel Wilson is going to do to her next,” she said.
MacInnes, who denied giving false statements when questioned in court, is seeking damages for harm done to her reputation.
Wilson invented a “complete revision of history” littered with multiple glaring inconsistencies, Chrysanthou said.
She noted the Bridesmaids star testified she told a local producer about the alleged complaint on the day it was made to her but the producer said she had not been told MacInnes felt uncomfortable until a week later.
“She is a fantastical liar who has made up terrible, terrible allegations about multiple people and her own witnesses have discredited her,” the barrister said.
“We say Ms Wilson cannot be believed on anything she has said.”
Wilson lied to Ghost about receiving a complaint to create division between the producer and MacInnes, whom she sought to paint as a troublemaker, Chrysanthou said.
A text from Wilson that accused the young actor of leaking information to the film’s writer showed she was set on undermining MacInnes’ relationships, she argued.
But it was slammed as a “very weak motive” by Sibtain, who questioned why Wilson would want to drive a wedge between the star of her film and a producer.
“It’s clear Ms Wilson had no motive to lie about something as inherently disruptive to the harmony of the film as the making of a false complaint would be,” he shot back.
The fabrication would have been quickly resolved by a discussion between MacInnes and Ghost – who lived together at the time – but it had not been because it was the truth, Sibtain said.
Despite her lapses in memory, he said Wilson had been a truthful witness who had rejected suggestions she was lying.
After two weeks of colourful submissions punctuated with Hollywood name drops and multiple side plots, Justice Elizabeth Raper reserved her decision.
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