Rebel Wilson on Fame: ‘Girls Would Scream at Me Like I Was in One Direction’

Rebel Wilson was undoubtedly the breakout star of the 2012 musical-comedy Pitch Perfect. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that she opens the movie's highly anticipated sequel, Pitch Perfect 2. But with great power comes great responsibility, and Rebel admits her newfound celebrity freaks her out a little — but not as much as being suspended in the air for that opening scene did.

In case you haven't seen the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2, the opening scene sees Rebel's Fat Amy descending to the stage from the ceiling as the Barden Bellas perform for President Obama. Amy's pants rip, she gets turned upside down and winds up exposing herself to the entire audience. In short? It's a total disaster. It was also a scene Rebel — who, ever since falling during a high-school production of Fiddler on the Roof, is terrified of heights — wasn't looking forward to filming. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly she said, “I was really, really scared. But Fat Amy is super confident. So I was like, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do: I’ll do it three times—that’s it. I won’t look scared in the takes and I’ll crush it.’ I was proud that I pulled it off, and it’s such a good opening.”

Rebel also opened up about her sudden propulsion into the public eye, as Pitch Perfect certainly boosted her celebrity. She said, "I was in Africa last year. The teenage girls would scream at me like I was in One Direction. It’s crazy that it’s reached these corners of the world. It’s really awesome.”

But Rebel remains a bit apprehensive about having a bigger role in the upcoming movie. She said, "The first movie was so much fun because it was just like a musical theater camp, having fun. Whereas, the second one, I felt a lot of pressure to make a good movie for all the fans and all the people that loved the first one.”

Pitch Perfect 2 is slated for a May 15 release.