Rebel Wilson reveals West End ambitions as she is crowned Ultimate Woman at Cosmopolitan Awards

The actress revealed she has plans to write an original musical
Stage ambition: Rebel Wilson at the awards bash
Dave Benett
Alistair Foster3 December 2015
The Weekender

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Rebel Wilson wants to write and star in her own West End musical — but warned fans it could take 20 years to come to fruition.

The comedy actress, 35, who began her career on the stage, revealed her ambition at the Cosmopolitan ultimate women of the year awards at One Mayfair. Guests included Emma Bunton, Bake-Off winner Nadiya Hussain and Myleene Klass, who turned heads in a sheer outfit.

Wilson, who was named woman of the year, told the Standard: “I’d love to do the West End, but you want to originate a role to really make an impact. I mean if I just came in and did Wicked or something, as like the 16th Elphaba, it wouldn’t be that exciting. So, I’m always looking.

"I know a lot of the top theatre directors and we’re looking around to see if there’s anything that would be worth spending time away from movies to come and do.

Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards 2015

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“It would be brilliant. My former housemate Matt Lucas has performed on the West End and I’ve heard it’s such a great community. I’d love to write an original musical but it can take a long time. Hamilton [the musical] that’s on Broadway right now took six years and it’s a work of genius, so it would probably take me like 20 years!

"But I should get started because it would be awesome. Obviously I came from the stage so I’d love to get back on it, but movies are keeping me way too busy.”

Caroline Flack won the TV personality award, Baroness Brady took home the businesswoman gong and Jess Glynne picked up the solo artist prize — two years after a withering rejection from a record boss. She said: “I got this email that was really arrogant, and was basically signed off with, ‘Don’t give up your day job’.

"And it was a really grim email. It properly upset me and I was so angry about it but I believed in myself and I wasn’t going to let a man who’s the head of a company tell me, just because he could.”

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