On Tuesday 15th March, we welcomed the one-and-only Rebel Wilson to FHS. The iconic Australian actress, film producer and comedian must have been at least somewhat jaded, having presented the BAFTAs less than 48 hours earlier, but it was impossible to tell. She delivered an interview of charm, humility and characteristic wit, which resonated with us all in different ways.
Amber Hill in the Lower Sixth prepared a thoughtful set of questions on a diverse range of themes, which afforded the audience a unique and captivating insight into Rebel’s life.
We’re delighted that Rebel enjoyed her visit, remarking:
“Thanks to Amber for interviewing me today at Francis Holland School – what a legend! And thanks girls for asking such awesome questions #girlpower”
As well as many entertaining stories, she delivered pearls of wisdom about the importance of building inner resilience, exploring opportunities and learning not to fear failure. Whilst at university, Rebel was chosen to do a year abroad in Africa as a Youth Ambassador for Australia, where she contracted malaria and had a hallucination that she had become an actress! Having completed her Law degree, she began to pursue a career in acting and her big break came when she was cast in Pitch Perfect aged 32. She has now also turned her hand to film producing, with three successful films under her belt to date.
As with many of our other Women of Influence, Rebel encouraged girls to expand their horizons, engage with the wider world and feel confident to try out different paths (as exemplified by her own career trajectory). In particular, she highlighted the importance of taking risks and choosing to ‘explode’ rather than ‘implode’, meaning learning how not to crumble under pressure and, in doing so, identify and make the most of all opportunities. She described how she had been very shy when she started High School and, having read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, had taken it upon herself to speak to five new people each day in order to build her confidence. She also discussed the importance of partaking in clubs, team sports, school plays and other group activities in order to build a sense of community and inner belonging – something we believe in passionately at FHS. Finally, she highlighted the importance of using imagination and creativity to pursue your goals; attributing her initial success to having created and produced her own play whilst at university, which led to her originally being spotted and cast on Australian television.
Amber remarked “I especially appreciated Rebel’s openness in sharing the strains on mental health that fame can have and what it is really like to be a woman in the industry. She was truly down to earth, and I felt further inspired to work for my dreams, despite the potential struggles.”
Thank you so much to Rebel for giving up her valuable time to come and see us, and for delivering an interview which was simultaneously humorous, inspirational and poignant, and will be remembered fondly by the FHS Community for years to come.
