During her career, Isla Fisher has played a vast array of characters – some loud, some loose and some that “stay with you a little bit”. But, in her latest chapter, the Australian actress is looking for something that speaks to her on a more personal level.
From rom-com Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy to the animated Dog Man and female-led comedy Spa Weekend, Isla’s in the thick of a feel-good era and loving every minute of it.
“I would say that what I get from the characters I play is more existential now,” Isla, 49, tells TV WEEK. “There are skills I’ve learnt – like horse riding, playing piano or doing magic tricks –that I’ve used from time to time, but for the most part, it’s a character who is super-confident or doesn’t conform to social norms. I want to try bring some of that into my life socially, as I’m a bit of a homebody and don’t go out much.”
Having mastered the art of illusion for the Now You See Me film series, Isla jokes that it might just be the confident icebreaker she needs. “It’s an all-in-one trick!” she laughs.
Isla isn’t just seeking skills to master but making a deliberate choice in the wake of personal upheaval. In 2023, the actress announced the death of her father and “best friend” Brian. Just over a year later, she split from her husband of 13 years, Sacha Baron Cohen. But, amid her grief, Isla is reflecting on what she now wants in life.
“When you’re acting, you take on the energy of somebody else. If you’re in a scene where people are yelling at you, you feel it on a cellular level. It’s hard not to feel that when you get home, even though you know it’s a job,” she says. “I’ve played characters who were damaged or had low self-esteem, and who are hard to shake off. But, lately, I’ve played people who are happy and enjoy life, and, given I’ve had a rough couple of years, I’m really enjoying that.”
Part of that includes starring in the adorable new animation, Dog Man, based on the graphic novels by Dav Pilkey. In the film adaptation, which follows the adventures of a part-man, part-dog police officer, Isla lends her voice as reporter Sarah Hatoff, who follows the news like a dog with a bone.
Despite Isla’s previous illustrious career, Dog Man has proved a massive hit with her two daughters and son at home. “This role has got me a lot of cred in my house, I’m proud to say,” she says with a laugh. “When I was leaving for a voice recording, my son asked, ‘Where are you going?’ I said, ‘I’m going to record Dog Man!’ He was so excited. He’s a massive fan.”
Naturally, many years of bedtime reading has made Isla well-equipped for the role. “This was easy because I knew the character,” she says. “We all knew all the books.”
Peter Hastings, who is also the director, voices the role of Dog Man. Unlike acting in traditional films, Isla didn’t get to interact with her other co-stars, Pete Davidson and Ricky Gervais.
But that’s not always the case. She has dabbled in numerous animation films, such as Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Back to the Outback (2021) and the dog-centric comedy movie Strays (2023), each of them being a “completely different” experience. For the 2011 animated film Rango, in which Isla voiced an Iguana called Beans, the cast approached the story like a play.
“Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy and I we were on a stage in costume and ran through the whole thing. It was so much fun,” she recalls with a smile. “But I was in a sound booth for Dog Man alongside Peter, mostly. I would record the character and play around with her accent and reactions. It was a fun creative process.”
It would seem from her flourishing career that Summer Bay is a distant memory for the Hollywood star. Isla, who starred as Shannon Reed on Home And Away from 1994–97, is now based in the UK. But she always finds a reason to come home.
As it happens, TV WEEK is speaking to Isla across state lines, as she wraps filming on Spa Weekend in Queensland – although it wasn’t the usual sunny state of previous visits.
“I got to be part of a cyclone,” she says with surprise, referencing Tropical Cyclone Alfred which wreaked havoc on the state. “My kids got to come over this time because of the [UK] school holidays, which was great. But it’s a hard juggle with school and life in the UK.”
Having just wrapped “one of the best experiences” of her career and with another project planned for later in the year in Australia, Isla is thrilled to be spending more time at home.
“It’s been amazing,” she says. “I’ve been to Byron Bay to visit family and friends, and the weather is perfect.
“I’m just very grateful to be busy, and to be back.”
Dog Man is in cinemas April 3.
