Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson will swap glitz and glamour for a more austere setting when she takes centre stage in a real-life drama that has overshadowed her directorial debut.

The Pitch Perfect star directed, co-produced and starred in The Deb, a musical comedy set in rural NSW, the release of which was delayed due to various legal battles.

She is being sued by lead actor Charlotte MacInnes over social media posts claiming she confided in Wilson that she had felt uncomfortable with co-producer Amanda Ghost.

The former co-stars are both set to testify in a fiery nine-day hearing in the Federal Court in Sydney today.

MacInnes has denied making the complaint to Wilson and says she has been seriously harmed by the older actor's suggestions she retracted the alleged comments in return for a lead role and a record deal.

The social media posts damaged her professional reputation and created doubts about her trustworthiness before she could even enjoy the benefits of playing her first lead role in a film, MacInnes claims.

The posts blamed her alleged lies for blocking the film's release and portrayed her as selfishly prioritising her own career over the hundreds of cast and crew who toiled on The Deb, according to her statement of claim.

The up-and-coming actor is seeking aggravated damages for serious harm caused as well as a court order preventing Wilson from repeating the allegedly defamatory claims online.

Wilson accepts in her defence that she uploaded a series of posts which were available to her 11 million followers for 24 hours, but denies that two of the posts were about MacInnes.

The Bridesmaid actor maintains the younger actor complained to her about being uncomfortable around Ghost and claims MacInnes was being untruthful when she denied it.

MacInnes lied to have a positive relationship with co-producers Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden, from which she derived significant career benefits, Wilson alleges.

She is set to take the stand in the second week of the Federal Court hearing, along with her pregnant wife.

The internationally acclaimed star is also facing a separate legal battle in the NSW Supreme Court brought by Ghost, Cameron and Holden over alleged breaches of contract and damaging statements.

The Deb premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024 but had been blocked from wider distribution by the ongoing legal disputes.

The film was released in Australia on April 9, with some local reviews praising it as "joyous" and "filthy, fun, but most of all moving", while another said "many moments fall flat".

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