Since then, her career has included Bridesmaids, two Pitch Perfect hits, the last Night at the Museum romp and now the rom-com How to Be Single.

"I think I came to Hollywood at the exact right time," she says, "because my first job was Bridesmaids. I auditioned for Melissa McCarthy's role and didn't get it, but they liked me so much they added me into the film. And then that movie was just a massive hit the following year. And that spawned all these amazing female comedies, including Pitch Perfect. In these female ensembles the women can be outrageous and bawdy. I think it's becoming the norm. Now they're really encouraging us to do more R-rated, super-edgy, honest kind of material."

Rebel Wilson stars with Dakota Johnson

With How to Be Single, she felt that the script addressed an issue she could identify with. "The philosophy of this movie is something I've always felt, even when it was unpopular," Wilson says. "People would be like, 'Why don't you want to be in a relationship?' and I'd say, 'I have to work really hard to get ahead in my career, so I'm going to do that.' And now a lot of people I know in long-term relationships really envy my situation."

Wilson chalks her success as a comic down to the fact that people are more open to laugh at a large woman. And she thinks her personality helps too. "Of course, you use whatever you've got," she laughs. "My physicality is this right now, so I definitely use it. But it's also my personality. I think I could lose weight and, because I have such a good fanbase, it would be just as interesting and funny."

Wilson is clearly at ease in her own skin, although she has her limits. "I've never done full-frontal nudity, because I've always felt in comedy there's really no need. But for the right Oscar role, I totally would do it," she laughs.

And she doesn't mind that her frankness causes all sorts of problems. "I'll just say whatever, even when it gets me in trouble," she laughs. "I get in trouble all the time for saying things about other celebrities I shouldn't say. And I'll get in trouble with movie studios, because I'll announce things I'm not supposed to announce. On Pitch Perfect 3, they won't even tell me the storyline. I've been banned!"

Watch the trailer for How To Be Single: