The well-known saying of ‘turning your dreams into a reality’ is all well and good, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t really happen that often – unless you are Rebel Wilson, that is. In an interview on the Aussies in Hollywood podcast, the comedy star shared how, after contracting a deadly disease when she was 19, a hallucination involving the Academy Awards is what kick-started her acting career.
Having starred in over 20 movies, most notably in the musical Pitch Perfect, and the rom-com Bridesmaids, Rebel Wilson has established herself as a common fixture in Hollywood over the years. However, her dreams of being on the big screen have a somewhat eyebrow-raising origin story. According to the star, during a trip to South Africa in her teens, she contracted Malaria and was hospitalised. While receiving treatment, the drugs given to her caused the star to hallucinate during the life-threatening experience.
“I’m just lying there in hospital, can’t really hear, can’t really watch TV, and I was just hallucinating on the drugs that I was an actress,” Wilson recalls. “I was giving an acceptance speech… an acceptance rap, which seems so dorky now. When people have kind of near-death experiences, people can experience certain things that really change the course of their life.”
After seeing a vision of her future stardom, Wilson moved to Hollywood in 2011 to pursue an acting career. Despite having never received an Oscar in real life (yet), obviously, her drug-fuelled vision was on to something as she continues to thrive in her chosen field.
Fans can next see Wilson in the comedy movie Senior Year, where she plays the leading role of a 30-year-old cheerleader who awakes from a coma after 20 years. Senior year is set to premiere exclusively on the streaming service Netflix on May 13, 2022.