The Seasoned Actor ISLA FISHER Is Redefining the Comedy Genre on Her Own Terms

30 HUMOUR IS OUR BEDROCK The seasoned actor ISLA FISHER is redefining the comedy genre on her own terms Photographer A NGE L O D’AG O ST I NO Stylist ALLISON BORNSTEIN sla Fisher broke into the Hollywood comedy genre with a defining part in hit comedyWedding Crashers. However, the I actor first came to prominence for her portrayal of Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away from 1994 to 1997, garn- ering two Logie Awards nominations. Fisher soon started to amass wider attention for a plethora of productions as the lead female comedy character by encapsulating the essence and multifaceted aspects of being a woman in modern society. She was also hand- picked by fashion demigod Tom Ford to appear in his thriller Nocturnal Animals. Dress CHANEL Isla’s right hand Toi and Moi ring set in platinum with diamonds Isla’s left hand forefinger Gold diamond and ruby cluster ring Brilliant diamond dangle earrings, all TURNER AND TATLER 33 Her latest release sees Fisher as Matthew McCo- naughey’s partner in critically acclaimed director Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum. Starring alongside Zac Efron and Snoop Dogg – an interesting mix of personas to say the least – Fisher is the antidote to McConaughey’s rebellious rogue character who lives life by his own rules. “I felt like the script was part provocation, part tragedy, part comedy, part hedonism. My role in it was pivotal as the Ying to Matthew McConaughey’s Yang in the story,” she explains. “In one way she’s not dissimilar from characters I’ve played who are sort of, ‘fuck the system’, anti-establishment, but she’s also different because of her voice and mannerisms,” Fisher concludes. To quote British TV writer Ricky Gervais, “If you can laugh in the face of adversity, you’re invincible.” Hu- mour and comedy are embedded in each individual’s character, making it the easiest trait to tap into if you’re looking to make a connection. Fisher picked up on the social aspect of comedy early on in her life. “I think humour is such a great way to connect with people. Even from the time we’re babies and you blow a raspberry on a baby’s belly or you put on a funny hat, or when kids start learning how to talk and shows. “My mother was actually an amateur dramatic when you start with simple wordplay or diction jokes. Humour is I was a kid, and I remember seeing Twelfth Night when I such an important part of society; it keeps us very happy,” was about four, and she was the lead in that. I thought, ‘Ooh, she tells me. this seems really exciting and fun’ when I was backstage and And this happiness that she deliciously describes everyone was getting their dresses and makeup done. From with pathos became the driving force that skyrocketed her the time I was very young, I always liked the idea of perfor- to household fame. Fiercely passionate and with a personality mance, but equally, I was very shy,” says Fisher. that transits the silver screen, the actor is now synonymous Her shyness did not impact her decisions though. with hilarity in cinema. Not to confuse hilarity with ridicule, Even as a child, she had a clear vision of her future and however, as the line between the two is easy to cross in film. courageously pursued her passion. “I got to about 11, and I She embodies naturalism at its core, whether it’s through thought maybe I want to try and pursue it professionally playing a shoe addict in Confessions of a Shopaholic or an now. I managed to look in the yellow pages, pre-Google days, outrageously hedonistic maid of honour in Bridesmaids. and I found myself an agent, spoke with them on the phone, Now 43 years old, Fisher started her career in the and then I was lucky enough to get cast in something. I began industry at a very young age – some would even classify her as a child actor and have continued ever since.” as a child actor. Her mother, who was very active in amateur Her early days as an actor were easier than most dramatics, would regularly bring Fisher backstage with her at would expect. It was only later in her career that Fisher would experience rejection. “My first job was for an advertisement for the lotteries commission in Western Australia, and I was just an extra, in the background of the show. I wasn’t featured and I didn’t have any dialogue, but I was just so excited that I can remember my mum saying, ‘Isla, you’re hyper-ven- tilating, relax!’ and then my next audition was for a TV show called Home and Away, and I got the job. Actually, back then my hit rate was really good. Almost every job I ever went for, I would get. It’s only as an adult I’ve got worse at auditions. Now I struggle with auditions actually. I’m very lucky because now I tend to get involved at an earlier level, so I can avoid auditioning, but when I do have to audition for a role, I’m always so much more nervous than I used to be.” However, Fisher nurtured a healthy coping mecha- nism for herself when faced with rejection. In spite of the rollercoaster situations that you find yourself in as a performer, the actor has found a way to ground herself in reality and not get carried away by pitfalls. “It is just part of the business; you never personalise it. Sometimes a reason can be so simple and silly, like, ‘You’re not a blonde,’ and they can’t imagine put- ABOVE LEFT Dress, belt CHRISTOPHER KANE Top, trousers, belt LOUIS VUITTON Isla’s left hand forefinger Isla’s right hand Toi and Moi ring set in platinum with diamonds ABOVE RIGHT Toi and Moi ring set in platinum with diamonds TURNER AND TATLER TURNER AND TATLER Blazer ERMANNO SCERVINO 34 ting a wig on you. Or ‘You’re too short’ or ’You’re not sporty film and television, Fisher is keen to point out that working enough’ or ‘You’re too sporty’ or ‘Your ears are too big’.” alongside her husband strengthened her connection with Fisher is breaking a mould when she speaks un- him. “When we worked together, we shared a trailer, we didn’t resentfully of her rejections. Many performers fall into the feel the need to separate our personal and professional lives. It false belief that they are being objectified in the audition was really fun working with Sacha. I’d definitely do it again. room, whereas the actor is completely aware of the fact that He’s so funny when he improvises, and he’s just a laugh. I think some circumstances are outside her control. “It can be any that in any relationship of many years you end up bouncing number of reasons – I’m teasing about the ears – but there ideas off each other,” states the actor. “It’s always the dream can be any number of reasons why you’re not right for a role, really to work together and be in one place at the same time,” and often you see the movie and think “Oh yeah she did it Fisher concludes. way better than I would have,” Fisher explains. As far as upcoming projects go, Fisher wants to keep After spending the past two decades as one of com- her life an open book. After embodying a diverse number of edy’s most prominent leading women, the actor is excited for characters who possess hedonistic, non-conformist traits with the future of the industry. In a post-Weinstein era, things voracious sexualities and anarchic spirits, she wants to keep her are finally looking up. “I think it’s an exciting time to be feet firmly planted in the comedy genre. Fisher also doesn’t feel a woman. I do think that as much as we’ve made changes the need to play a traditional female role and would rather gear and developments in terms of pay parity and diversity with- towards pivotal parts where mannerisms are at the forefront. in roles, we obviously still have a very long way to go,” Fisher When speaking about the role of comedy in people’s lives, she explains. “We’re always just hoping for a more inclusive future comes to a full circle with her first statement about her childhood. in the industry. It’s no revelation that people of colour are still “Comedy in a way makes us better people. I think gravely underrepresented in every aspect of the Hollywood comedy changes how we think and how we act – it’s like landscape. However, I personally have noticed that I have laughter’s a lubricant. It joins us together, and it helps to been offered two movies over the summer with female directors, point out things in life that we may subconsciously notice so it’s just a hope that we continue going on,” Fisher says. but never really consciously think to talk about,” Fisher says. The actor married British comedy mogul Sacha “It’s an integral part of human interaction. Humour has been Baron Cohen in 2010 and the two have three children. Fisher on the mind of thinkers for centuries, it’s been around since and Baron Cohen have been together for 17 years, meaning Plato and Aristotle contemplated the meaning of comedy. Fisher has been by his side while he has played the notorious They were laying down the foundations of Western philosophy.

Load more