SYDNEY (AFP) - Hollywood star Rebel Wilson on Monday (May 22) accused an Australian publisher of portraying her as a serial liar in a series of articles that she said cost her lucrative movie roles.

On day one of a defamation trial in Victoria state's Supreme Court, Wilson's barrister Matthew Collins told the jury that Bauer Media "tore down an Australian star to sell magazines".

"They refused to let the facts get in the way of a good story," he said, The Age newspaper reported. "This defendant knows that what it wrote was simply false."

The Sydney-born actress, who starred in Bridesmaids (2011) and Pitch Perfect (2012), is suing the media group for articles in 2015 that claimed she lied about her name, age and background in order to advance her Hollywood career.

The publisher owns magazines Woman's Day, Australian Women's Weekly and OK Magazine.

Mr Collins said the actress, who flew to Melbourne from the United States for the trial, had been robbed of acting opportunities as a result of the stories.

"The phone just stopped ringing," he said.

The trial is expected to run for three weeks and include testimony from Wilson's family.