Entertainment Movies See Every Photo from Rebel Wilson's Stunning PEOPLE Cover Photo Shoot The actress gets candid about body image and her role in the industry in an inspiring chat with PEOPLE By Liz McNeil Published on May 18, 2022 08:00 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 06 Cliff Watts In the latest issue of PEOPLE, Rebel Wilson opens up about the "year of health" she had in 2020 that's continuing to transform her life. "Even though I think you can be confident at any size, I knew in my heart I wasn't behaving in a healthy way, just having a big bowl of ice cream for dinner," she says. She cut down on sweets, ate more lean protein and greens, exercised regularly (lifting weights and taking long walks) and slowly lost more than 80 lbs. "It wasn't a goal to get to a certain weight," she says. "I wanted to be the healthiest version of myself." 02 of 06 Cliff Watts "There were people in my life saying, 'Why would you want to change anything?' but they didn't know the inside," she says. "The fear was maybe people won't find you funny anymore, but it was like, 'I'm turning 40, and it's time to change.' " 03 of 06 Cliff Watts Going through her health journey in the public eye was sometimes a disconcerting experience. Despite her film success, "I got way more atten - tion when I did nothing but lose weight," she says. "But I get it. When Oprah would do episodes on weight loss, I was glued to the television." 04 of 06 Cliff Watts Of her roles in the Pitch Perfect films, Wilson says, "Fat Amy was probably my most favorite character I've ever played. I loved representing, and I was so confident, but I did feel at times insecure. Sometimes it's hard doing a photo shoot next to your fellow actress and she's a third the size of you." She's still coming to grips with those conflicting feelings. "There is a societal bias toward what society deems as good-looking," she says. "It's not right. It sucks. It's unfair. I feel sad if somebody doesn't love the body they're in." 05 of 06 Cliff Watts A fierce advocate for body positivity, Wilson is working toward constructive change in the world, such as producing more films, including Netflix's Senior Year. "I want to bring the hilariousness but also bring the heart," she says. And she makes sure "there's respect for everybody on the set." 06 of 06 Cliff Watts For more with Wilson, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.