Exam rituals, sleeping in the library, and countless parking tickets: Rebel Wilson reflects on her time at UNSW

In an intimate Q+A event in the Io Myers Studio, Wilson spoke with Professor George Williams AO, UNSW Law Dean, sharing fond memories of her time at UNSW, which she said comprised 10 years of study, two degrees, and countless parking fines.

“It’s awesome to be here, I have so many stories from campus, but most of them involve me sleeping in the library, or getting parking fines,” she said to an audience of 120 students. “I spent a long time here, 10 years, so I knew all the cafes that had the best paninis.” 

Wilson reminisced about how, while juggling study and TV appearances on SBS’s Pizza, she made great use of her ‘gangster’ costumes to make an impression during exam week. 

“I played a gang girl so I had all these tracksuits, one had 'Champion' written across it, and so for the exams [wearing it] would get me in this really good mood like, yeah, we're going to crush this!” she laughed. “I would rock up to uni in some outrageous sunglasses and this Champion tracksuit, and just try to psych out other people… I'm sure people were looking at me thinking "What the hell is she doing, how is she even in our law school?"

The Hollywood actress, writer and producer graduated from UNSW in 2009 with a double degree in law and arts – a degree, she claims, was inspired by the ’90s legal comedy-drama series, Ally McBeal.

“It was about lawyers who played on pianos, and sing at the end of a case. It was my favourite show. I thought that's what being a lawyer was. Turns out it wasn't like that,” she said. Though she enjoys Law, Wilson’s heart took her in a different direction, having been passionate about an acting career since her teen years.

“I am a big proponent of going after what you’re passionate about. I had this vision when I was 18 that I was an actress, even though nobody thought that was going to be a great idea… I was just a very normal-looking person; though I did plays and musicals at high school, I was never the lead,” she said. “When I told my mum I was going to be an actor, I told her in the shopping centre, a public place, so she wouldn't go crazy. And she still went crazy.” 

Before celeb life, Wilson struggled to afford law textbooks

Wilson recalled several challenges during her studies, such as the grueling 2.5hr commute to campus from her home in Northwest Sydney, and juggling her double degree with her acting and writing career.

“It was a very hectic schedule, I would go to acting school at night, and my law and arts study during the day.” After the commute became too much, Wilson resorted to buying a car, which led to getting many parking fines, and being unable to afford her petrol let alone pricey law textbooks. 

“I couldn't afford the law books, so I would photocopy pages, or read them in the library,” she said. To make ends meet, Wilson eventually took up a job at the Australian Theatre for Young People, where she was given access to free acting classes – the rest is history. 

By the end of second year Law, Wilson was a professional television actress, but the challenges didn’t stop there. At one point, with her work based in Melbourne, she was determined to continue her studies in Sydney, scheduling all her classes back-to-back on a Tuesday so she could fly in at 4am and fly out at 9:30pm – a pattern she continued for a year.

“People would say, ‘why are you still doing this? You’re on TV’. But the television industry is very volatile, and you don’t know what’s going to happen. And I worked [really hard] in high school to get into the degree. I couldn't just waste that,” she explained. “I never failed anything though. I'm proud of that, ” she explained.

“Behind the scenes, I’m wheeling and dealing”

Wilson has regularly expressed the value of education, and the value that her law degree has brought to her career, including being the first Australian actor to ever maintain the intellectual property rights to her characters as part of an SBS sketch show. 

“It’s helped me so much. I know I play a lot of dumb characters, but behind the scenes I'm wheeling and dealing,” she said. “I did my first DVD distribution deal when I had my first TV show. Then when I was in America I was doing my own contracts,” she said.

“It got to the point where they were like - Rebel, it's fine. You've got a lawyer. You can't be negotiating your own deals’. But I tell you what, that Pitch Perfect 3deal was very good.”

Most recently, Wilson starred opposite Anne Hathaway in The Hustle, which the MPAA initially gave an R rating. Using her law skills, Wilson took the matter to arbitration and won, securing a PG-13 rating, and making the film more accessible to a wider audience.

“70% of my character in Pitch Perfect was improvised”

It was on the set of the Pitch Perfect films that Wilson learned the importance of improvisation to grow one’s profile – a skill that expanded her role in the first film from a meagre total of eight lines, to being one of the main characters. 

“I didn't have a big role in that movie, and I knew this was my chance, so I improvised a lot” This motto was shared by her co-star and on-screen hook up, Adam Devine, and together they changed the storyline. 

“Our characters were never supposed to get together, we just both wanted more screen time,” Wilson laughed. “Honestly, just have confidence in yourself, do it, because if you never film it, it can’t go in the movie. I always try to get my jokes in.”

Wilson credits this confidence for her success in a very competitive industry, advising students that ‘you are what your project yourself to be.’

“When I went to LA I had a suitcase, a doona, and $20,000... I was nobody, but I literally had to behave as if I was an A-list movie star.” she explained. “If you don't back yourself, no one will, so you've got to be extremely confident and get out there.”

While conceding that being too confident can make you act like a “lunatic”, she said thankfully her family keeps her grounded. 

“When I’m home, my sister Anna is just like, ‘unpack the dishwasher’. They don't really allow me to get any diva ways.”

“You are not an imposter – you're meant to be there”

Despite emanating the confidence she preaches, Wilson admitted she is also suffers from nerves and self-doubt, especially when it comes to live performances. She shared with students her personal method for countering those effects, and overcoming symptoms of ‘imposter syndrome’.

“I do this thing where you think of all the little things you've done to get to where you are. All you guys, for example, you must have done well at school to get to University, all those exams… things you’ve achieved. This is going to sound mental, but I think of it as like a staircase, all those little things,” she explained.

“When you’re about to do something nerve-wracking, you just think of these stairs, these building blocks that are all holding you up, from all just those little tiny achievements - everyone has that, and sometimes you've just got to remind yourself. 

“So in a way, you're not really an imposter,” she added. “You were meant to be there and take that opportunity.”

Following her visit, Wilson shared photos of her posing with students and Clancy the Lion on her Instagram account.

“Such an honour to speak at UNSW in Sydney today and officially accept my award for Exceptional Alumni Achievement,” her caption reads. “[It] was such a blast to come back and see such awesome students working hard!”