Directed by Jordan Gertner, Paramount Pictures' latest film Sheroes is a classic tale of action, adventure, and gal pal comedy. When Hollywood princess Diamond (Sasha Luss) whisks away her three friends -- tough, athletic Ryder (Wallis Day), wild child Daisy (Skai Jackson), and the flirtatious yet timid Ezra (Isabelle Fuhrman) -- to her father's luxurious home in Thailand, the girls expect fun in paradise. However, a deadly mix-up ends with Daisy being kidnapped and held for ransom. However, not even the cartel can thwart the power of friendship, and against all odds, Diamond, Ryder, and Ezra come up with the mother of all rescue plans.
In an interview with CBR, lead actress Isabelle Fuhrman (Ezra) discusses shooting in Thailand, dancing, behind-the-scenes friendships, and the difference between playing a hero and her previous iconic horror and villain roles.
CBR: Let's dive in and talk about Sheroes. How would you describe Ezra's journey? How did you get into her character?
Isabelle Fuhrman: Ezra is like the audience when you walk into the movie. She doesn't understand what happened to her vacation and how it went awry! By the end, she realizes she's just as badass as her friends, that she can save the day, that she can protect the people she loves, and that she is just as badass as they are! I'd been getting into character. I had short hair at the time, and then I got hair extensions and highlights. I remember looking at myself in the mirror, being like, "Here she is. We found her!" It changed everything for me because I'd never had my hair dyed. It was just so long, and hair extensions make your hair so thick. I was like, "I feel like a girl who's been on a TV show for many years and goes to Erawan every weekend and spends all her money on the $17 smoothies. This is great!"
Ezra is a more heroic character. Previously, you've played just as badass characters but more villainous. You're well-known as Esther in the Orphan series. So what is the difference between embodying a hero vs. a villain?
Fuhrman: It was fun! It was really fun. I don't think that Ezra considers herself a hero until the end, when they finally save Daisy, and they save the day. But it is a collaborative effort. I think the four of them together all have something different that they bring to the table. That's why they do this together. And it's through that togetherness that they can achieve that. I think being a villain is probably a very solitary life. If you can't tell, most villains are just the villain. They have henchmen -- well, I've never had henchmen -- but there are usually other people involved. But heroes band together to do something great. I think that was really fun to look to my left and look to my right and know that I had not only an amazing cast and characters that were alongside my character, but I had made amazing friends. We really loved each other and had such a great time making this movie.
What were your favorite scenes to shoot?
Fuhrman: I loved doing that dance sequence. That was the most preparation I had to do! [laughs] I love dancing, but I'm not a particularly great dancer! But thank God for editing. It looked great! What I love about that scene is Wallis's moment. [laughs]
Most of the characters you've played are very active action badasses. What was the most physically challenging one for you to shoot?
Fuhrman: I think it was that dance scene to be completely honest. Ezra didn't have as much action as Diamond (Sasha Luss) or Ryder (Wallis Day), and that's because that's not her special skill. But I did love that moment in the movie where I got to do that dance. I felt like my character was really fun. I got to pay homage to so many movies I've always loved. That dance moment, the short opening came from very specific films. And then coming out of the bag in the fight club scene came from the Ocean's movies. And the whole speech on the phone coming from Taken. I felt like I got to play with what I loved about action movies that I saw throughout my whole life in this movie in this one character.
Physically, that dance was the thing that was most strenuous for her as a character. And it was because I was like, "I'm a horrible dancer." I have a lot of enthusiasm for dance, but dance is not my strong suit. But we got through it, and they edited it. And it looks great now!
It's interesting that you mentioned referencing all these other movies because your character is an actress within the story. That makes perfect sense, this meta approach.
Fuhrman: Yeah, it was fun to play with! Even shooting that little vignette at the beginning in the set with the bank was so fun because it was like, "Oh, Jordan (Gertner), what if I give her an accent?" That was the last day of filming, and we'd been talking about it and laughing about it. Wallis and I had gone back and forth about it, "Maybe Dirty Mary is British?" And then we can't make her British, then maybe we make her like, Southern. So it was like, "Okay!" It was this really fun thing to step into a set [and] pretend I'm an actress. It felt like a T-shirt within a T-shirt within a T-shirt, and so on!
What did you love most about Sheroes?
Well, first and foremost, when I saw the movie, I saw all the chemistry that we have. I was in the theater, just smiling, thinking, "Yeah, we actually had this much fun together." The fact that it translates on screen, I think people will see this movie and have so much fun watching it. So that was a big thing for me that I was excited about. I also love the message of, "You can be your own hero." You can save the day. Not everybody has the same skills, but everyone's got their talents. And you can do amazing things, especially with people that you love. It really is these four girls. Ryder, Diamond, and Ezra come together, and because their love [is] so powerful, they get their best friend back and save the day. And then the four of them save the day together.
That was one of the most fun things about the film, also being a sort of classic hero's journey, especially with your character, who undergoes the most development.
Yeah, I also played with that a lot. Jordan (Gertner) gave me a lot of freedom to improv. A lot of the jokes I made in the movie were things that I just said. I'm really glad that he kept them in because I think it added to the story in a way that wasn't necessarily on the page, where it gave you permission to laugh at what's going on. [laughs]
Sheroes hits theaters on June 23rd.