Rebel Wilson shuts down the idea that straight actors shouldn't play gay roles: 'Total nonsense'

"You should be able to play any role that you want."

Is it okay for straight actors to fill LGBTQ+ roles? Rebel Wilson is weighing in on the long-debated issue of representation.

The topic came up during Wilson’s appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, where she was initially asked if she believes that women in comedy can get away with different jokes than men.

“I’ve definitely said a lot of edgy jokes, and said them sometimes in very public places like the BAFTAs,” the Bridesmaids star said. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s a different standard, it’s more this thing about if you are something then now you’re allowed to joke about it.”

She explained, “So say, if you are overweight, you can say jokes. But if you’re not, [you can’t]. That’s kind of what’s currently happening. So it’s not really gendered.”

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Reflecting on whether she finds that restrictive or positive, Wilson compared it to another issue of representation.

“I think that’s hard. It’s going into this territory of like saying, ‘Well, only straight actors can play straight roles, and gay actors can play gay roles,’ which I think is total nonsense,” she said. “You should be able to play any role that you want.”

Returning to the matter at hand, she added, “But I always think, in comedy, your job is to always flirt with that line of what’s acceptable. Sometimes you do step over it but, at the end of the day, you are trying to entertain people. If people are just always being safe and protective, you’re not going to get good comedy from that.”

Related: Rebel Wilson gets candid about losing her virginity at 35: 'You shouldn't feel pressure as a young person'

Wilson also spoke about her fiancée, Ramona Agruma. The couple confirmed they were together in 2022, after the Pitch Perfect actress learned that an Australian outlet was planning to reveal their relationship.

“I wasn’t hiding my relationship with Ramona but it was something we were slowly telling people in our lives,” Wilson said. “It suddenly put us in a situation where we were forced to announce it to the world, probably a few months before [we planned to].”

Wilson said that she was “lucky” when it came to coming out.

"Even though I come from a very conservative background, it went very, very well,” she said. “My grandparents, who are in their 90s, are just so chilled and cool with it.”

She added, “Ramona’s family, not as much. Her mum has luckily come around now, her father still doesn’t talk to her, but we’re hoping that will change.”

The same year that they revealed their relationship, Wilson and Agruma welcomed their first child together, via a surrogate, a baby girl named Royce Lillian.

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