Isabel Lucas Transforms

Hollywood’s a long way from Summer Bay, but the Melbourne-born Home and Away star, Isabel Lucas, has made the trip, and stars in the new blockbuster, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. She was back in her hometown recently, and she took some time out to chat with Citysearch about her transformation from soap star to Hollywood star.

Isabel, congratulations on getting the part of Alice in such a big film. How did it all come about?
I was playing a small role on the miniseries called The Pacific, which is produced by Tom hanks and Steven Spielberg. My agent got a call from Spielberg and asked me to read the role of Alice, because he was also producing Transformers. And I went in auditioned with director Michael Bay. It was surreal, and that’s how I got my foot in the door. It was an unusual audition, because the second half ended up being shot in his car. It was also unusual because when I first arrived, I was wearing a black dress, and he sent me away and told me to go and find a coloured dress, because it was for a summer blockbuster and he didn’t think black was right for the character..

Speaking of The Pacific, did you work on that here in Melbourne, or overseas as well?
I just shot in Melbourne, although the series was shot here and overseas. It’s so special working in your hometown, because when you’re shooting, you’re used to being in unfamiliar hotel rooms, which can be interesting too. Transformers was shot in Philadelphia, Princeton and LA, and I hadn’t been to Princeton or Philly before. But The Pacific was shot in Melbourne, and also Port Douglas. It was a massive production.

Did you grow up with Transformers?
No, I didn’t. I knew nothing about Transformers until I saw the first film, and I was awestruck by the CGI and special effects. I also thought Shia Le Beouf did an incredible job; he has an amazing ability to carry a film. It’s a big fun action film, and even though it’s a sequel, it’s a film unto itself.

Now you play Alice, who’s a bit of a seductress with quite a tongue on her! How did you prepare for the role?
When I auditioned, I didn’t know how my character’s story unraveled, and it was until I was cast that I was allowed to read the script, under supervision. None of us got a copy of the script, except for Shia, because of the incredible secrecy that Michael Bay insisted on for this film. When I had read further, it was exciting to read, because she was layered; it really is a different character from anything I’ve played before, and so different from myself, it pushed me out of that comfort zone, and forced me to explore something new. We wanted something odd about her, but she is mysterious, and we’re not really sure where her intentions lie.

The film involves a lot of CGI action. How did you go working with that?
It’s a different medium of work. Michael was incredibly specific when we were doing shots that involved any kind of special effects. I can’t talk so much about working with poles and tennis balls on top of them, but everything else had their own experiences, and I know it takes more imagination to create that illusion, but when there’s a pole, it’s not that realistic at all. It’s a different way of working altogether. I enjoyed learning about the process and now I have a bit of experience.

What other projects have you got coming up?
I wrapped on a film called Kim, which was shot in Melbourne, and The Waiting City with Radha Mitchell and Joel Edgerton, and Daybreakers, which comes out in January, and of course, The Pacific. I just think I’m fortunate to be working, because there’s not a lot of work out there.

Tim Hunter, Citysearch

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens 24 June.

Source: Citysearch.com.au