⁠"To be paid that little" — Rebel Wilson reveals she paid for her Bridesmaids premiere dress because she "made no money" on the film

Popular actress Rebel Wilson recently released her new memoir, Rebel Rising and spoke about the same as she appeared on the Diary of a CEO podcast. In the episode that aired on May 6, 2024, she spoke about her experience with the hit film Bridesmaids and how she was paid a small amount.

She also talked about how she had to buy her own dress for the premiere. Rebel Wilson said:

“It was my first job in America. I mean, I was very lucky to get it … But to be paid that little. Basically, that $3,500 I then had to pay to the union to join the union.

"So I basically made no money. I lost money because I had to pay to go to the premiere like to buy my dress and everything. So, I lost money doing Bridesmaids.”

The How to Be Single actress also said that when the movie came out in 2011, she was living on a very low budget:

“That was a really skint year where I was living on $60 a week in L.A. once I’d paid my rent and my car hire. I wasn’t partying or living this movie-star life. It was basically having that focus, trying to write for myself, going to auditions.”

Rebel Wilson's memoir was released in April 2024 and garnered a lot of attention as she spoke about her experiences shooting a lot of movies over the years.

In the memoir, she spoke about being paid too little at first and finally negotiating for her movie Pitch Perfect, for which she was paid a whopping $10 million.

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“I booked six movies off the back of Bridesmaids”: Details revealed as Rebel Wilson speaks about making no money from her first hit film

Rebel Wilson, born in March 1980, started off her acting career with Pizza, a comedy series that aired from 2003 to 2007.

Thereafter, she did Ghost Rider and a short film, Bargain in 2007 and 2009, before starring in the 2011 hit film, Bridesmaids. However, she revealed in her memoir released in April 2024 that she made no money doing the film.

Moreover, in her latest interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast, she also spoke about how she ended up spending the entire $3,500 she made from the movie on her dress and accessories, which she had bought for the premiere of the movie. However, she added that she bagged many roles just after Bridesmaids.

Rebel Wilson said:

“I booked six movies off the back of Bridesmaids, one of which was Pitch Perfect, which was kind of my real golden ticket.”

Not just the podcast, she also spoke about earning big bucks through Pitch Perfect in a previous interview with the New York Times, just after the release of her film. She said:

“Universal Studios are incredible, but did they make a ton of money from the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies? Yes. So despite me absolutely loving all those folks at Universal, did I use that leverage to my advantage?

"Yes. And in the 11th hour, I go, ‘You know, that’s a lovely offer of $9 million. But I need one more to make it 10.’ That’s a big milestone when you’re an actor.”

In her memoir, she also touched on the issue of body image in the industry and how her body has affected her personal life deeply.

After Bridesmaids, Rebel Wilson ended up doing a lot of hit films including What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Ice Age: Continent Drift, Pitch Perfect 1, 2 and 3, Isn’t It Romantic and Senior Year.