Rebel Wilson has taken to Twitter to apologise after she claimed to be the first ever plus-sized woman to lead a romantic comedy.
The Australian actress stars in the upcoming meta rom-com Isn't It Romantic, in which her leading character, Natalie, becomes trapped in a romantic comedy.
While talking about the film on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wilson sparked controversy when she said: "I'm proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy."
Commentators took to Twitter to point out that actresses such as Mo-Nique and Queen Latifah have paved the way before her, but Wilson refused to be corrected, questioning whether "technically those actresses were plus size".
Hey girl! Yeah I of course know of these movies but it was questionable as to whether: 1. Technically those actresses were plus size when filming those movies or 2. Technically those films are catorgorized/billed as a studio rom-com with a sole lead. So there’s a slight grey area
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) November 1, 2018
Monique subsequently tweeted Wilson, asking her not to allow this business "to erase our talent with giving grey areas and technicalities" and urged her to "take a moment and know the history".
Hi Monique, it was never my intention to erase anyone else’s achievements and I adore you and Queen Latifah so so much x I support all plus size ladies and everything positive we are doing together ❤️
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) November 3, 2018
On Tuesday, Wilson backtracked on her comments, writing: "In a couple of well-intentioned moments, hoping to lift my fellow plus-sized women up, I neglected to show the proper respect to those who climbed this mountain before me like Mo'Nique, Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, Ricki Lake and likely many others."
She continued: "With the help of some very compassionate and well-thought out responses from others on social media, I now realize what I said was not only wrong but also incredibly hurtful. To be part of a problem I was hoping I was helping makes it that much more embarrassing & hard to acknowledge."
In a couple of well-intentioned moments, hoping to lift my fellow plus sized women up, I neglected to show the proper respect to those who climbed this mountain before me like Mo’Nique, Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, Ricki Lake and likely many others.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) November 5, 2018
The Pitch Perfect star went on to apologise for blocking people on Twitter who criticised her original comments.
"I blocked people on Twitter because I was hurting from the criticism, but those are the people I actually need to hear from more, not less. Again, I am deeply sorry," she wrote.
Isn't It Romantic, in which Wilson stars alongside Liam Hemsworth, is scheduled for release on Valentine's Day next year.
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