- Written by Ian Youngs
- Entertainment/Arts Reporter
Actress Rebel Wilson and Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of Borat and Ali G, are embroiled in a dispute over plans to publish what she described as “patently false claims” about herself.
Wilson said his forthcoming memoir will have a chapter dedicated to Baron Cohen.
She did not provide details of the content, but said she would not be “bullied or silenced” by her lawyers.
His attorney said his claims would be “directly contradicted by extensive and detailed evidence.”
The two starred in Baron Cohen's 2016 film Grimsby and were known in North America as the Grimsby Brothers.
The Australian actress plays Dawn, the girlfriend of Nobby, a soccer fan played by Baron Cohen, who is drawn into the world of her super-spy brother.
Earlier this month, Wilson said in an Instagram video that her book will include details about when she worked with people she described using epithets.
She now names Baron Cohen as the subject of the chapter, writing, “I will not be bullied or silenced by the high-priced lawyers of public relations crisis managers.”
She did not provide further details. Her book is scheduled to be published in the US on April 2nd.
In response, a spokesperson for Baron Cohen told BBC News: “While we recognize the importance of speaking out, these patently false claims are based on contemporary documents, film footage and “This is categorically refuted by extensive and detailed evidence, including eyewitness accounts from those who were present at the scene.” Production of “The Brothers Grimsby.'' ”
The British star made a name for himself with brazen comedy, including a daring prank carried out disguised as impostor gangster Ali G and fake Kazakh journalist Borat.
Wilson has previously described his personality and style on the set of Grimsby as “absolutely outrageous”, and has told how he repeatedly tried to persuade her to film nude scenes, adding that their sex scene was “just right. It was the worst thing I've ever done.”
In a 2014 lecture, she said: “He just keeps pushing you and pushing the comedy in every scene. That's why his work is so loud and funny.”