Aussie actress put career over truth, Rebel Wilson’s counsel claims

The young star who has brought defamation proceedings against Rebel Wilson has faced accusations that she brushed a sexual harassment complaint under the rug in exchange for her flourishing career.

Under lengthy cross-examination, Western Australia-born singer and actress Charlotte MacInnes has firmly maintained her account of a bathing incident involving Amanda Ghost, one of the three overseas producers of Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb.

In MacInnes’ version, she and Ghost were swimming at Bondi Beach around the time filming began, when the latter had a medical incident that required her to be warmed up in a shower at their accommodation.

MacInnes said she ran and climbed into a bath, which Ghost shortly joined. Both women were still wearing their swimsuits.

Wilson has not denied that the bath incident took place or that the women were clothed, but has claimed that MacInnes approached her the next day to complain that Ghost had made her feel “uncomfortable”.

The allegation was then aired by Wilson in emails with the producers amid disputes over budgeting and writing credits. The Pitch Perfect star also claimed it affected the release date of The Deb.

MacInnes has sued Wilson for defamation over four Instagram posts.

Counsel for Wilson, Dauid Sibtain SC, accused MacInnes of making the complaint and withdrawing it to preserve a relationship with Ghost, who went on to support her career with various introductions and assistance during auditions and record deal meetings.

He suggested MacInnes had told Ghost no complaint was ever made because she was “extremely worried” about the state of her career.

It was suggested that MacInnes went so far as to allegedly make a “highly misleading” or false signed declaration for United States proceedings brought by Ghost – and her fellow producer colleagues Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden – against Rebel for defamation.

MacInnes dismissed this, insisting her declaration was correct when it refuted there being any truth in Wilson’s harassment claims.

While MacInnes said she was “incredibly grateful” to Ghost, she said she was also “incredibly proud of myself”.

Sibtain took MacInnes and the court to an Instagram post made by MacInnes shortly before the commencement of the proceedings in which the young actress had posted the words: “My biggest flex is I am doing all the things that I said I’d do.”

In the last three years, this has included a publishing deal and a record deal with Warner Music, Sibtain listed.

“You’ve flown around on at least one occasion on a private jet, you have performed on at least two occasions on a billionaire’s super yacht, everything has come up trump for you, MacInnes, over the last three years, as you have said in your posts, hasn’t it?” Sibtain said.

In response, MacInnes said: “I’ve worked very hard.”

Part of Sibtain’s cross-examination also went into the relationship between MacInnes and Wilson following the allegation.

While Sibtain claimed photographs depicting the pair showed them to be on friendly terms, MacInnes said she did what she could to maintain a “professional and somewhat light-hearted relationship with her” despite the allegedly false harassment allegations.

Asked whether she maintained taking a certain photograph under “sufferance”, MacInnes said it was “very difficult to be around Rebel”.

In opening submissions, MacInnes’ counsel, Sue Chrysanthou SC, claimed Wilson used the alleged harassment as leverage in disputes, “and we say that is a habit of hers whenever she doesn’t get her way”.

The proceedings are ongoing.