For over two decades, Isla Fisher has forged a successful career in Hollywood. However, it was a recent return to her native Australia to film the comedy "Spa Weekend" that made her feel like a true star.
Fisher, 50, described receiving a warm welcome in Queensland while shooting the film, a stark contrast to her experiences working overseas. "Everyone was like 'Oh hello, Isla.' I got treated how American actors get treated in America. It felt so good!" she told The Daily Telegraph.
The film, which stars Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, and Michelle Buteau, sees Fisher play Mel, an unfiltered friend who disrupts a luxury getaway. "Spa Weekend" doubled for Los Angeles during its production on the Gold Coast, offering Fisher the unique experience of portraying an Australian character while filming in Australia.
Initially, Fisher was hesitant to lean into an Australian persona for Mel, concerned about perpetuating stereotypes. However, directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, known for "The Hangover" and "Bad Moms," encouraged her to embrace her heritage. "There's something about Aussie women. We're just tough," Fisher said. "We play dirty – and so there's been something fun about playing Mel with that backdrop of how I was raised and bringing that kind of bogan, Perth Aussie thing into this quite uptight American puritanical group."
Fisher also found aspects of her own personality mirrored in Mel's impulsive nature. "I definitely feel like that's a part of the character that I leaned into," she explained. "I feel like she's always looking for a dopamine hit – however she's going to get it."
The experience marked a full-circle moment for Fisher, whose international breakout role in "Scooby-Doo" was filmed in Australia nearly 25 years prior. This time, however, she returned not just as an Australian working abroad, but as an established Hollywood actress filming an American production in her home country, enjoying a recognition she likened to that of American actors in the United States.