PREVIOUSSPREAD:MAXABADIAN/CORBISOUTLINE
stunts.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know I had a choice!’”Fisher
laughs. “I thoughtyou justhad togetonwith it. It’s the
Australianway!”
Pluckyandgame to tryanything, Isla (pronounced
eye-luh
) ismakinga splashon thebig screen following
a semihiatus from acting. Until now, the diminutive
redheadhas been best known
for comedies such as
Wedding
Crashers
and
Confessions of
a Shopaholic
. But this month,
Fisher reintroduces herself to
cinema audiences indramatic
fashion, showcasing her facil-
ity formoreserious fare in
Now
You See Me
, as well as in the
highly anticipated
The Great
Gatsby
.Dressed instrikingflap-
perdressesandcloches, Fisher
channels hermoxie toportray
MyrtleWilsonintheadaptation
of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic
poundedhermanacledfistsagainsttheenclosure’sglass
walls,hercrimsonhairbillowing likeblood inthewater.
Only this time, shereallywas in trouble.Herchainhad
snaggedonagridatthebottomof thetank.
“Theyhadaguywhowaso-camera,buthewasquite
awaysawaywithatravelingcanisterofoxygen,”Fisher
recalls. “BythetimeIrealizedI
couldn’tgetupandbeckonedfor
him,Ihadalreadyrunoutofair.”
Theactressknew therewas
a kill switch that could drain
the tank in70 seconds, but she
couldn’t last that long. Yet she
didn’tpanic.
“Luckily, I managed to get
free and stay level-headed and
getout,”shesays. “Thedirector
said tome, ‘Wow, I’veworked
with somany actors on big ac-
tionmovies,andyou’retheonly
one who’s done all their own
D
URINGHERFOURTHDAY
offilmingunderwater,IslaFisher’seyesbegantosting.
Shewasn’tusinggoggles—heronlyattirewasaone-piecebathingsuitandhigh
heels.Therewasno scubaequipment, so sheoften spentwholeminutes sub-
merged inawatertankwithoutair.Oh,andheranklesandwristswerepadlocked inchains.
ItwasthemostfunFisherhadexperiencedonamovie inages.
“Itwasgreat fun toget ina tank,”grinsFisher, relaxingonacouch insideHollywood’s
ChateauMarmonthotelseveralmonths later.“It’s likeyourchildhoodfantasycometrue.”
In
NowYouSeeMe
, a thriller aboutmagicianswho stagedaring illusions—andeven
moreaudaciousbankheists—the37-year-oldAustralianactressplaysamodern-dayfemale
Houdini.Inapivotalscene,Fisher’scharacterperformsatrickyunderwater-escaperoutine
in frontof a live theateraudience.Duringoneof the scene’sfinal shots,Fisheronceagain
FUNFACT:
ASRESEARCH,
THECASTOF
NOWYOUSEE
ME
WASTAUGHT
MAGICTRICKS
BYTHEMAGIC
CASTLE’SDAVID
KWONG.
46
MAY 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
