Balance December 2017 - 25

T H E B I G I N T E RV I E W

O

riginally we were going to chat in New York. Then it was Miami.
But at the last minute, it changed to LA. That's what Isla Fisher's
diary looks like and I'm exhausted just trying to keep up. 'It isn't
always like this,' she says, when I eventually catch-up with her.
'Most of the time I'm based in LA, but I start shooting a new film
called The Beach Bum, on location with Matthew McConaughey,
tomorrow, so right now it all feels a bit overwhelming.'
It seems as if Isla, 41, has been around forever. We've grown
up with her since she first appeared, in 1994, as a teenager on
Australian soap Home and Away, and have watched her become
a successful actor in Hollywood, a transition few soap stars have
achieved. Though, that's not to say it's been easy.
'When I first arrived in America, I was going for all these
dramatic roles, getting to the last few girls, but then being
turned down,' she tells me. 'I was becoming very disheartened,
but then I met my husband, [Sacha Baron Cohen] and he said,
"Listen, you're one of the funniest people I know, why don't
you go for comedy roles?" I certainly hadn't ever considered
that being funny could actually be a job. I cringed with
embarrassment when I asked my agent to put me forward for
comedies, but I'm glad I found the courage. The very next week
she sent me to audition for Wedding Crashers, which was a
really big turning point for me.'
The 2005 romantic comedy, also starring Owen Wilson,
Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken, was a huge hit around
the world, grossing $285million.
'Even today though, there are still not enough female
comedic roles,' she continues. 'There are plenty of eyerolling women as the male lead makes a joke, but very few are
commanding the starring role. I remember when Sex and the
City started - we all thought we were going to get so much
more work, but then it went quiet until Bridesmaids. Everyone
was like, "OK, now we've really proved that women can be
funny," but sadly it's all died down again.'

MARGE TO THE RESCUE

words by
SA ND I E J ON E S
photography by
JA ME S T U RN E R

Isla credits moving schools every year for being able to tap into
her inner idiot. She says: 'I had to make new friends all the time,
so I learned how to be funny pretty quickly. I grew up with four
brothers and I think it's the Australian sensibility in me that
makes me think, "I don't care whether you think it's funny,
I think it's funny, so I'm going with it."' And when the jokes
tanked she'd turn to books. 'They were my safety net in so many
ways,' she explains, 'and a great form of escapism for me.'
Now with three children of her own, books are a big deal for
Isla, so much so that she has turned her hand to writing and is

December 2017 BA LA N CE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance December 2017

Balance December 2017 - 1
Balance December 2017 - 2
Balance December 2017 - 3
Balance December 2017 - 4
Balance December 2017 - 5
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