Bright and bubbly Isla Fisher is most famously known for her roles in “Wedding Crashers,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Definitely, Maybe.” Fisher may seem like an all-American actress inside and out. However, she is actually a talented Third Culture Kid (TCK) whose rise to fame began when she was very young.
Childhood
Fisher was born in Muscat, Oman to Scottish parents. TheFamousPeople Magazine says her father worked as a banker for the United Nations, and her mother was a writer. According to Empire Magazine, she is named after the Scotish island, Islay. The unique name is pronounced eye-la. Fisher was then culturally immersed in Bathgate, Scotland until she was six years old.
At that point, her family moved to Perth, Australia. She and her four siblings were raised there. Fisher remained in Perth making a name for herself until she eventually traveled globally. She spent time in Paris, the United Kingdom and eventually the United States. With each new place came a series of potential acting career opportunities.
Fisher’s rise to fame
One necessary skill in the acting world is the ability to make friends, and to make them quickly. As a TCK, frequent moves were nothing new to Fisher. She was no stranger to having to adapt quickly in a new setting. In an interview with British Cosmopolitan, Fisher said, “I went to something like six different schools before the age of 12, so I was always the new girl and had to make friends quickly.”
Fisher took this perfected skill and paired it with a natural comedic talent. She showed theatrical promise from age nine, when she appeared on Australian television commercials. She went on to star in children’s shows like “Bay City” and “Paradise Beach.”
Before making it big in blockbuster movies, Fisher also published two books with the help of her mother at age 18. Allen and Unwin Book Publishers said Fisher has “a wealth of experience across script-writing, marketing and comedy.”
Ultimately, it was Fisher’s role as Shannon Reed in the Aussie soap opera “Home And Away” that propelled her into the limelight, according to the Scottish Sun. From there, she toured with a few theater programs in Paris and the United Kingdom. Her role in “Scooby Doo” (2002) earned her the ticket to major roles in movies produced in the United States.
Her TCK experience and roots
It would be difficult to deny Fisher’s talent and success. Ultimately, she was faced with both the challenges of a TCK navigating the world and an actor fighting for a shot. No doubt, her culturally fluid experiences have impacted her work as an actor, writer and mother. She is currently married to British actor Sacha Baron Cohen.
Although she was born in Oman, raised in Australia, worked throughout Europe and lives in the United States, Fisher claims she often feels more Scottish than anything:
Every time I eat a deep fried Mars Bar or dodge a Glasgow Kiss, I am reminded of my Scottish roots.
Isla Fisher is a powerful example of a strong and poised TCK in Hollywood. One look at her career is enough to spread just a bit of inspiration for anyone hoping to “make it big.”