New “Rango” interview with Collider

Continuing our weeklong coverage of the film, we have a one on one interview with the beautiful and funny Isla Fisher. We talked about how she handles voice acting in contrast to live action work, the unique filming style of Rango, stress on set and much more.

Isla Fisher

* Fisher talks about how acting for voice work and acting for the camera are similar and different.
* :52 – Fisher describes the unique way this film was produced and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the style.
* 1:33 – How she deals with the stress of a big set.
* 2:05 – What were her thoughts when she first saw the script.
* 2:41 – how she keeps things fresh when playing romantic leads.
* 3:16 – how she developed her accent for the film.

Collider.com


Isla Fisher: I copied my dad’s accent

Isla Fisher has hinted her decision to “completely copy” her father’s accent for one of her movie roles didn’t go down well.

The Australian actress portrayed Ginny in Burke and Hare, which was released last year. It starred Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as two grave robbers, and for her role Isla had to speak in a Scottish accent. She found it hard to find someone to base her character on as the film was set in the 19th century, so decided to look closer to home.

“For Burke and Hare [Ginny] was completely fictional because there wasn’t much to go on from that period, I think Ginny was completely invented actually,” she told Cover Media. “My father has a very thick Scottish accent so I just did my dad’s accent. And actually everyone felt it wasn’t, y’know… I just copied my dad completely.”

Isla is currently promoting new animation Rango, in which she voices the character of Beans. Unlike most CGI films, the stars involved with Rango – including Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin and Bill Nighy – acted alongside each other and didn’t just lay down vocals in a booth.

Isla was pleased with the process, as she thinks the chemistry actors get when they are in front of each other is “irreplaceable”. She also liked that Rango was shot scene by scene from start to finish, rather than in a random order.

“We shot it chronologically. We shot this over 21 days. We came in and there was almost no homework to do as an actor because your emotional arc… you’re doing it in order,” she explained. “It’s not even that you need to remember how you were feeling in the scene before.”

Rango is released in the UK on March 4.

Isla Fisher: ‘I don’t aspire to win an Oscar’

Isla Fisher has “never aspired” to win an Oscar.

The ‘Rango’ star says although she respects actors who are nominated for Academy Awards for their roles in dramatic films, she prefers acting in comedies because she loves playing the “idiot”.

She told BANG Showbiz: “I just love tapping into my inner-idiot! It’s fun. I’ve never aspired to have an Oscar. I love dramatic movies, I appreciate them, I love dramatic actors and actresses but I really love comedy.”

The Australian beauty – who is married to actor Sacha Baron Cohen and has children, Olive, two and an unnamed daughter who is around six months old – even revealed she once wanted to be a clown and studied the art of being funny in France.

She explained: “I studied at clown school in Paris, I wanted to be a clown. I never thought I’d be in movies, I love doing movies. I feel so blessed and grateful for every second, but I’m just a comedy fan.”

Meanwhile, Isla, 35, says her main focus is her children and she will put them before work, accepting only scripts that really interest her.

The redhead said: “Now that I’m a mum I don’t want to be away from the kids. I only work if I really love the scripts or the character or the director.”

Isla Fisher: My kids are sophisticated

Isla Fisher plans to take her children to see her new movie because they’re “light years” ahead of other kids.

The actress has two children with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen, three-year-old Olive and another daughter born last September whose name has not been made public.

Although the couple are famously private about their personal life, Isla has admitted becoming a mother has influenced her work choices. She is currently promoting animated movie Rango, in which she voices the character of Beans, and can’t wait for her offspring to see it.

“Yeah being a mother totally influences me. Now that I’m a mom I don’t want to be away from the kids so I only work if I really love the script, love the character, love the director,” she told Cover Media.

“Oh yeah, yeah [the kids will see this].They’re ready for it, they’re very sophisticated, light-years ahead of where they should be.”

Johnny Depp voices the title character of the movie. Rango is a chameleon and joins forces with Beans to work out why their town no longer has a water supply.

Isla loved working on the animation as it meant she didn’t need to worry about watching herself back on the big screen.

“To see yourself as a lizard is a very surreal experience. And it was so nice because I was able to enjoy my own performance,” she laughed. “Normally when you watch yourself on camera, I think at least when you’re magnified to that degree you just question why all the features in your face have been clustered together, there’s just so many things… it’s hard.”

Rango is released in the UK on March 4.

Isla Fisher shuns Hollywood for kids

Isla Fisher doesn’t like to work because of her children.

The Australian actress – who has three-year-old daughter Olive and an unnamed daughter aged around six months with British comedy actor Sacha Baron Cohen – only signs up to a project if she really loves it, but enjoyed seeing herself as a lizard in new animated comedy Rango.

She said: “Now that I’m a mum I don’t want to be away from the kids. I only work if I really love the scripts or the character or the director. And yeah, to see yourself as a lizard is a very surreal experience. It was so nice because I was able to enjoy my own performance.

“Normally when you watch yourself on camera, I think at least when you are magnified to that degree you just question why all the features on your face have been clustered together.”

One aspect of the film 35-year-old Isla particularly liked was getting to interact with the other voice actors – including Johnny Depp and Abigail Breslin – rather than recording the part of tough country girl Beans in a booth.

She told BANG Showbiz : “Comedy is timing. The timing you get from another performer being opposite you, the chemistry you get with it, the humanity you get from your own voice when you’re looking at a real person verses a microphone. It’s irreplaceable, that kind of energy. It was hugely beneficial, I believe, for all the performances, to be doing them.”

More photos from the Berlin & London “Rango” events

I have more from the two European Rango events for you today! I accidently deleted all the Berlin photos, so I’ve re-added them … along with another 55 photos from that event. And we have almost 50 more photos from yesterday’s photocall in London. Most of these photos are in HQ, so you can enjoy Isla a bit closer! I really love her looks at these events! For the fashion fans amongst us, Isla’s London outfit was Dolce & Gabbana with Christian Louboutin pumps, and in Berlin she wore Elise Overland, and Louboutin pumps again.

You may be interested to know that the older man that Isla is hugging in some of the Berlin photos (including the 3rd thumbnail below) is her dad, Brian, who lives in Frankfurt!

“Rango” Berlin Premiere x55 more
“Rango” London Photocall x48 more