Australian comic actress Rebel Wilson, famous for her roles in the films Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids, told a Melbourne court on Tuesday that a series of defamatory magazine articles cost her roles in Hollywood and tarnished her reputation.
A tearful Wilson said that the articles, published in 2015, were a deliberate attack on her character and damaged her acting career.
She is suing Australian publisher Bauer Media for defamation after the articles said Wilson had lied about her name, age and upbringing.
"These articles were a deliberate malicious take-down of me," she testified at the court, rejecting the publisher's argument that the stories were light-hearted and had no serious impact on her career.
The 37-year-old actress said those "nasty" articles led to her film contracts being terminated. Her lawyer said Kung Fu Panda III and Trolls were two movies that Wilson was subsequently sacked from.
Wilson said since the articles, she had only two roles - one for the movie, Absolutely Fabulous, which she did as a favour, and a stage role in London.
"It's not lucrative. The reason why I am here today is to stand up for myself and to stand up for my family, who have been harassed," she said before a six-woman jury at the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Wilson, who now resides in California, said she was born as Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, but she later legally changed her name to Rebel.
She also took her matrilineal surname, Wilson.
She told the court that her mother had wanted to name her after a little girl called Rebel that sang at her wedding.
Australian actress Rebel Wilson said the articles damaged her career.
