Fresh off the accolades for The Great Gatsby, Isla Fisher -— best known for her roles in Wedding Crashers and Confessions of a Shopaholic — will now be seen alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo in the heist caper Now You See Me. A t2 email chat.

What was the toughest part of playing an escapologist in Now You See Me?

My character, Henley, is an escapologist, an illusionist. She’s like a lion tamer — she’s fearless. But the challenge here was magic tricks and our magic consultant David Kwong did teach us a few. I learnt to hold my breath for a water escape act. There were a few dodgy moments where I panicked that I couldn’t get out of the tank. But it felt great when the director (Louis Leterrier) said to me: ‘You know, I’ve had actors before who wouldn’t feel comfortable doing the stunts that you felt comfortable doing’.

Take us through that water escape act…

I was chained under water. They had a guy who was off-camera, but he was a long way away with a can of oxygen. By the time I realised I couldn’t get up and beckoned for him, I saw that I had run out of air. I had a quick release on my wrists and a quick release on my feet but the chain that was tying my wrists to my ankles got looped around the bottom of the tank. I’d already been under for two-and-a-half minutes and I couldn’t get up for air. Luckily, I managed to get free and stay level-headed and got out before it went even more horribly wrong. No one wants to go in a swimming costume!

You have previously compared Henley to Katharine Hepburn and also Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo….

Some of the quotes I’ve given, I’ve definitely regretted! I don’t know if I can say she’s like either of those two people.

How was it sharing screen space with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo and Jesse Eisenberg?

Working with the cast was fun. This is the most fun movie I’ve ever worked on. But Michael Caine was probably the greatest buzz. He was an utter gentleman on set, a consummate professional and obviously brilliantly talented. It was a little bit like winning the lottery for me. And just hearing Morgan Freeman speak every day! Everybody knows that deep, soulful, calming, godlike voice.

You’ve done so many comic roles. Was a thriller a conscious choice?

I don’t see myself as particularly brave. I rely on gut instinct to accept a role. If there’s something that really terrifies me and I think I’m going to ruin it, then I’m going to do it. Like Now You See Me, where I’m playing this sexy magician who swims with piranhas. I’m like, ‘Why would I be offered that role? I don’t see myself as particularly brave or sultry, which is what was called for’. So I took the job because it’s interesting. And Now You See Me just had elements of an interesting movie, a good story, interesting people were attached and so many weird contrasting elements — romance, action, a heist.

What excites you more — a spectacle like The Great Gatsby that won you appreciation or an edge-of-the-seat thriller like Now You See Me?

I love being part of a movie where you can’t predict what’s going to happen. I love to play interesting characters and to play with people who are better than me so I can learn from them.

Priyanka Roy

Does Isla fit the bill to play a ‘sexy’ magician? Tell t2@abp.in