Rebel Wilson Talks Losing Virginity at 35 and How a Case of Malaria Launched Her Acting Career

-Dude, are you excited? The memoir officially comes out today. -Yes, I mean, I'm excited, but also a little terrified, because it's like all my personal and private secrets. -Yeah. But you knew that was going to come out. I mean, that's why you're... -Yeah, I know, but when you're writing it, you're alone in a dark room, just going... You know? And go through my journals and say, “Oh, yeah.” -Now everyone is going to see it. But there are so many great stories and I want to get to all of them. First of all, since I saw you, you have become a mom.

Congratulations on having a... ♪♪ That's the best. -Yeah. -Can I show this? -Yes, show it, yes. -Oh no! Look at Royce. -This is my daughter. -No no no! She is so pretty! -And it's great to have a baby, because you never know when you're going to pick her up and she'll throw up at you like a projectile. -Yes, you never know. -You do not know. -No, she's a bet every time she picks them up. -Every day is different. -How old is she? -She Today she turns 17 months old, actually. Yes. And she's a little cutie. Thank you. Thank you. -And newly engaged too. -Yes, we got engaged. -Not the baby.

Not the baby. -No. -No no. You... not the baby. -I got engaged to my Disney princess at Disneyland. -That's how it is. - So, yeah, we got engaged and we had a violinist playing, like, "Can you feel the love tonight?" -Oh my God! -There are rose petals. It was very, very romantic. -This is a lot to celebrate. -I know I know. So the good news is that the book has a good ending. -Yeah. Happy ending. Yes, it's a happy ending. Exactly. -Yes I know. Yes. -But it's great. It is very well done. I mean, were there any stories you were hesitant to include?

You say, "Eh, I don't know." -Yeah. I mean, there's a story about me

losing

my

virginity

pretty late, at 35. Then people said: Yes, it's not a joke, unfortunately. So, people... And then I thought, "Should I put that in? I don't know." -Yes, why not? -But I feel like if I were reading someone's memoir, I really want to hear everything, the things that might be embarrassing about that person and, you know, the good things. So I put it on. -Yeah. I mean, 35? I mean, some of us are 40 years old. -Well, some people like, apparently, Queen Elizabeth, who I like, never had sex. -Wow. -So yes.

So, you know, I won it. -Then you are in good company. -Yeah. "I hit her." -Yeah. It is a very fun book. You talk about your childhood and a couple of things that caught my attention and made me laugh is that at some point you wanted to be a rapper. -Obviously, obviously. I mean... -That's what we thought. -Yeah. -When you came out, I said, "Oh, yeah." -Yes, I grew up in the bush, yes, naturally I thought: "Yes, I will become a superstar rapper." -You actually recorded, like... -Well, I had a small group with my sister, and we were called Sisterz, with a "Z." Because that's, like, hard.

And I actually recorded a demo on cassette to send to all the record labels. And it was an original. It was called "When Skeletons Rule the Earth." -Oh! -Alright? -Wow. Interesting. Yes. - Because Skeletons was the hardest thing I could think of to rap on. -"When the skeletons ruled the..." -"They dominated the Earth." -Governed or Governed? -Yes, it was like, you know, if there were only skeletons walking the Earth and, how dangerous that would be. -Wow. Oh, of course. -That was the song. And then I recorded it and it was like, "When Skeletons Ruled the Earth." "When skeletons ruled the Earth." And then there was a breakdown at the place where we just went. "Skeletons, skeletons, skeletons, skeletons." -Wow. -And then he came back with "When Skeletons Ruled the Earth." -Yes Yes Yes. ♪♪ -♪ And another skeleton and another skeleton ♪ ♪ Skeletons rule the earth ♪ ♪ Hey, he'll get you too ♪ ♪ Skeletons rule the Earth ♪ ♪ Mm-mm! ♪ Yes, it's a great song. -So yes. -That's a great song. -I mean, yes, totally original song that I invented.

And... but no record company responded to me. -Oh! -Ever. I know. -It's just ridiculous. That's... But... -It wasn't meant to be. Yes. -I want to talk about this. There's a story here about, again, a happy ending, but you get

malaria

. -Yeah. Yes. -And how the course of your life changed. -I went to live in Africa after high school on a gap year and I contracted very serious

malaria

and was in the hospital. Malaria is like no other disease I have ever had. It's not like I had like 10 billion or anything like that. Remember? Virgin until I was 35.

But anyway, I was in a hospital, hallucinating, and I had lost my hearing due to the drugs they gave me. And I'm freaking out and freaking out that she was an actress and that she was really great and that she won an Academy Award. And it was completely ruined. As if I could see all the actors and actresses. And I go on stage and then I give an acceptance rap, like, because I was just... - "Skeletons ruled the Earth"? -No, I do not do that. I thought, "Listen, I have something to say. It's about the Oscar I won today." And I kept rapping and I thought...

It was so complete that I left the hospital and said, "I'm going to become an actress." And then everyone said, "No, we think malaria has made your brain crazy." They're like, "You know, you're not Nicole Kidman. No, that's not going to happen." And literally only my best friend, Nick, thought I could be an actor. Nobody else did it. -Yeah. -Yeah. And he was so sweet. He carved a star with my name and said, "One day, when you have a dressing room, you can put it on your door." -See? It takes a person to believe in you.

And look at yourself now with a memory. Come on! Congratulations, friend. -Thank you. -Rebel Wilson, everyone. "Rebel Rising" is available now.