Exclusive: Isla Fisher on Magic, Mindfulness and Finding Herself Again

Isla Fisher greets the day with her signature warmth and quick wit, even after clocking in yet another red-eye flight on her whirlwind press tour for Now You See Me 3, out today. The actress, author and devoted mom radiates both gratitude and grounded energy, a mix that feels fitting as she steps back into the spotlight—and into life after her divorce, a chapter she describes as one of rediscovery.

“I actually thought this morning that I was feeling just really overwhelmed,” she admits with a smile. “And then I had to remind myself to be super grateful for being at this position in my career and my life.” That mindful balance between chaos and contentment seems to define Fisher right now, an artist reconnecting with her passions, savoring new freedom and embracing the self-care rituals that keep her centered amid constant motion.

That grounded energy carries into every part of her life, from the way she travels to the little beauty habits that keep her looking and feeling radiant. Ahead, Fisher opens up about the joy she finds on the road, the beauty tricks that keep her glowing, and why returning to Now You See Me feels like a little bit of movie (and life) magic.

_{Dress: Alex Perry; Coat: Mimchick}

How are you keeping up with your sleep and your sanity as you do this whirlwind press tour—you are everywhere right now.

“Now that my kids are a bit older, I can feel a little bit less guilty for going away for a week here or a week there. I try to remember that I am lucky to get to travel and do these things. Ultimately, with the Horseman—Woody, Dave, Jesse and I—we all get on so well, so it doesn’t really feel like work. Honestly, a lot of my self-care is simply trying to keep myself happy, and being with them does just that. It’s like ticking all the boxes.”

What do you think fans will enjoy about the latest installment?

“What I’ve heard from people that I love that have seen the movie—whether it be my family who were lucky enough to come to an English premiere or people I trust in the business—is that it’s just a really strong story. It’s just one of those movies! It not only has great practical magic and action, but also characters with great chemistry, because these ensembles live or die on how well you feel the electricity between the players on stage. Also, I don’t know if you feel like this, but I don’t want to watch sad things anymore. I don’t want to watch characters who face something atrocious or who risk genuine peril in a storyline. There’s enough sadness in the world without having to watch that, too.

The fun thing about this movie is you’ve got a really great twist and a really great cast, but at no point do you think anybody’s going to die, or that any blood’s going to be spilled. Nothing’s going to happen that will give you a cortisol rush and make you feel anxious.

The stakes are higher, the magic’s bigger and the locations are more unique, with Abu Dhabi, Budapest and Antwerp. We’ve had these amazing sets built by David Kwong, who’s like a Harvard-educated magician. He created these illusion sets, like a mirrored room, a room that turns, or a Houdini-straitjacket replica.

It’s just so fun to be in a movie with as many ingredients as this, and so fun, I think, for audiences to reconnect with the franchise.”

Are you someone who was into magic before, or did you have to learn some tricks?

“I do love magic. I’ve always loved magic! My dad used to do magic on me when I was a kid. He used to make a coin appear or disappear. He would do these cute tricks—like putting a knife under a napkin to make it look like the napkin was a ghost. Anyway, I was always charmed by illusions. I love the idea of mystery. I think we live in a world where everybody’s always on the hunt for information and bombarded, and there’s just a continual influx of information. This is a mystery. You have to think about magic.

Magic exists between it all. It’s almost like a conflict between what you think should be happening, but then what your eyes are seeing, and that conflict creates a fun tension. That’s where I think it’s a similar thing when you’re an actor. You want to live in a state where you’re letting people guess what’s happening within your character.”

You really are a globetrotter, and I know you have to go back home to Australia, too. Do you have any ways to make sure you are taking care of your sleep and doing your skin care?

“Yes. I have two tricks. The first trick I swear by—and these are working from the outside in. I love these eye masks by Charlotte Tilbury, the Immediate Eye Revival Patches. Even if I’ve had salt and sugar or alcohol the night before, they tighten my pores, and they just straight away make my eyes look less puffy. I try to chug a ton of water when I’m on a plane. I’m always guilty of having a glass of champagne or Prosecco or anything when the plane takes off, just because I don’t love turbulence. Then I try to get on the time zone. There’s an app you can use that helps you get on the time zone you’re in before you even take off on the plane. You just try to adapt. Then, I’m a big believer in sunlight, sunlight, sunlight once you get to a place.”

You recently shared that you’re taking on a bit of a “new identity” right now. Is it an exciting time for you as we close out the year?

“Oh, my God, you’re so right! This year is almost over! That makes me think I will get to put up my Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush—whatever you want to call it. I like to do that early. I’m not going to lie…it has been a really challenging time. I definitely feel like there’s something about the divorce club that anyone in it understands in a way other people don’t. It’s a different grief. I feel like creating a new identity after your divorce is so fun, though. You get to reflect on your values and goals, explore new interests, focus on what you want and rebuild your sense of self.

It’s a lot like that, reconnecting to maybe passions you had when you were a kid, but they fell by the wayside when you were raising a family. All the relationships that you have in your life that were not necessarily the forefront of the way that you spend your time, because you’re married. Those relationships that are so supportive and brilliant and often really, really old get to retake center stage. I think that’s a really exciting thing. There are lots of positives that have come about from all this—like self-exploration and just trying to be kind to myself. I can just give myself grace whenever I like. That’s all I’m trying to do.”