Rebel Wilson says suffering a concussion five years ago made her prioritizeher health.
“I didn’t realize how prevalent it is, I was lucky,” Wilson recalls to YahooEntertainment. “It happened when I was on a movie set and I went to thehospital and got treated properly… half of the people who think that theymight have a concussion actually don’t get any kind of medical assistance.”
While filming Isn ‘t It Romantic in 2017, the 42-year-old actress slippedand fell on a grass hill and lost consciousness.
“Your brain is so important and if you sprained your ankle, you’re probablygoing to rest it or seek some medical help, so why wouldn’t you when you’vehad an injury to your brain?” she shares, adding: “The biggest regret I haveis that I was kind of pressured to go back to work after I had a concussion.”
Wilson says she returned to set to work “a full 16 hour day” despite having aterrible headache which lasted days.
“Knowing what I know now is I would’ve rested. That would’ve been the moreappropriate thing. But at the time, I felt pressure… you can’t see a brokenbrain. And with my concussion, they couldn’t ‘t see it. I looked normal, Ilooked like myself. So they’re like pressing me to go back to work,” Wilsoncontinues.
Now, Wilson is partnering with Concussion Awareness Now, a program from Abbottand the Brain Injury Association of America, for a new PSA encouraging peopleto “seek medical treatment” if they hit their head and “to not feelembarrassed or silly.”
Of experiencing a head injury, Wilson says “it wasn’t fun, all you want to dois lie down in a dark place.”
“I love my job and didn’t wanna let anybody down, but from what I know is thatI would’ve valued my own health more and rested,” she declares.
Wilson’s concussion played a part in launching her “year of health” in 2020.
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“I’d never really thought about my own personal health. I don’t know, when youare younger and you’re just like carrying on and I was having a fun life andgoing around the world and eating whatever I wanted before then ,” sheexplains. “Turning 40, it was like, ‘OK, now’s the time to be a healthierversion of myself.'”
Wilson concentrated on both “physical and mental health.”
“Your brain is a big part of that. And I’ve just learned to value my ownhealth more from going through that process,” she adds.
Wilson says her priorities have “100 percent” shifted again as she recentlywelcomed daughter Royce Lillian. The actress and her partner, Ramona Agruma,announced the birth of a baby girl in November via surrogate.
“I’m realizing I can only like do jobs now if I really, really want to dothem. I love what I do, but my daughter is now first priority and so I justwanna spend as much time with her as I can, ” the Pitch Perfect star says.”It’s gonna be an interesting balance, but I’m learning just how hard it is,how awesome and rewarding obviously.”
Wilson notes she’s “lucky” as she has help around her: “I’m in a privilegedsituation.”
“My baby just turned one month, it’s all so new to me and I’m just amazed andoverjoyed and I think she’s a little miracle,” Wilson adds.
The actress was privately dealing with an “emotional” fertility journey whilefilming her new movie The Almond and the Seahorse. In the film, Wilson’shusband suffers a traumatic brain injury and their love is trapped in thepast.
“My character Sarah in the movie really wants to have a child, and that reallyechoed with me, because at the time, I was going through [egg retrieval] andthen at the end of shooting… I found out that it wasn’t successful in turningin any of those eggs into embryos,” Wilson recalls, calling the news “a realgut punch.”
“The prep and the shots and everything… it really messes with your hormones,”she says of the IVF process. “I would get a bit depressed afterwards becauseof all the hormones leaving your body that you’ve been pumped up on.”
Wilson adds, “You get so excited that maybe the cells are growing, and thenthey’re not and it’s just really crushing. My story ended up happily and Ihave an amazing healthy daughter now, but I know that doesn’t happen foreverybody and the struggles of it.I had to do five egg [retrieval] proceduresto get my daughter,” Wilson adds.
The actress channeled her emotions into the dramatic role, which is one fansaren’t used to seeing her play.
“I started my career as a dramatic actress and I know people know meinternationally as a comedic actress,” she says. “Now that in my 40s I’m kindof showing more versatility and can show people these other sides of me. TheAlmond and the Seahorse is really raw, emotional, gutsy acting and it wasreally great to try to flex that muscle. It was a bit rusty, that actingmuscle, but I was really glad I got to start flexing it again.”
The Almond and the Seahorse hits theaters on Friday, Dec. 16.
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