Isla Fisher, who stars in "Confessions of a Shopaholic," has a secret of her own: It was all method acting.
"I'm not anti-shopping, but I shop rarely and poorly," says the actress, who's been handed the Herculean task of making a hero out of a woman who can't say "no" to a splurge while in real life the economy is imploding.
In the film, which opens Friday, Fisher plays a financial journalist named Rebecca Bloomwood who will stop at nothing to satisfy her retail addiction. Getting her fix lands her in debt to the tune of $16,200. Ultimately, however, it's a Hollywood redemption tale and, without giving away too much plot, the character comes to realize that accumulation of the material is immaterial. (You might be buried in that Prada frock, but you still can't take it with you.) En route to that epiphany, she schemes, splurges and even spars over a pair of Gucci red suede boots at a sample sale.
"It's difficult because someone who is seen as very superficial and drawn to bright, shiny objects is not necessarily a likable person," says Fisher, 33. "For me, it was about keeping the character real and then trusting that the audience and sympathy would follow."
The movie's producer Jerry Bruckheimer agrees: "Isla has to play a despicable character and get the audience to still like her."
Bestselling ladies
Luckily for everyone involved, the film has a built-in following because it's based on Sophie Kinsella's bestselling 2001 book. Since then, the British author has expanded the franchise to include "Shopaholic & Baby" and "Shopaholic & Sister," among others. (Could "Shopaholic & Second Cousin" be next?)
Fisher may not be much of a shopper, but she understands the appeal of chick lit. At 17, she wrote two bestselling novels -- "Bewitched" and "Seduced by Fame." At that time, she was successful as a young soap star in Perth, Australia. On one show, "Paradise Beach," her entire wardrobe could fit in a clutch. "I wore a bikini throughout," she recalls, with a laugh. "If there was a funeral, I was there in a bikini." She went on to study drama in Paris at the Jacques Lecoq stage school and acted in London before landing her first Hollywood role, playing Shaggy's love interest in 2002's "Scooby Doo." Three years later, she made a critical dent in "Wedding Crashers" as a neurotic nympho with a shriek that could shatter a Champagne flute. She not only held her own against Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, but she also hijacked many of her scenes.
