How Isla Fisher is benefitting from the ‘Bridget Jones impact’

Isla Fisher was revealed to be a surprise new addition to the Bridget Jones 4 cast this week, with fans in shock when she was spotted on set with Renée Zellweger.  

The actress has reportedly taken a role in the new movie as a ‘single mother who befriends Bridget at the school gates’, in a a case of life imitating art for the 48-year-old Australian. 

As has been well documented, Isla is navigating single life after splitting from her husband of 13 years, Sacha Baron Cohen, with whom she shares daughters, Olive, 16, and Elula, 13, and son, Montgomery, nine.

With her storyline mirroring her personal circumstances it’s unsurprising that sources say Isla’s own experience ‘will help her in the role.’ 

In the films, the trials and tribulations of protagonist Bridget – a thirty-something singleton who craved finding love but was looking in all the wrong places – resonated with many who were still on a rocky path to find their own Mr Darcey. 

Dubbed the ‘Bridget Jones effect’, millions of single millennials around the world revealed they finally felt represented when Helen Fielding’s popular novels were dramatised . 

In the upcoming fourth film, a newly-widowed Bridget is set to ring a chord with a new generation of women, those who found, but then lost, their partners. One of these women is no doubt Isla. 

It’s hardly groundbreaking then that sources told The Sun: ‘Isla’s real life is inspiring her new role in the Bridget Jones film. She plays a single mother who befriended Bridget at the school gates.

‘Isla loves Bridget Jones and is thrilled that she landed the part. Her own experience will help her in the role and it’s great she’s landed such a big part after a really tough time.’

The new role looks set to mirror Isla’s personal life, which has until recently been kept away from the spotlight. 

Living with her family in Perth, Australia, Isla was not one to court publicity, going about her daily business quietly.

She would support her husband at red carpet events but the fiercely private couple would rarely discuss their relationship, drawing a firm boundary between their personal and private lives. 

So quiet were they that the couple managed to break up in private, only announcing their split months later when Sacha came under scrutiny because of unsavoury claims made by actress Rebel Wilson. 

In April the pair announced they had split by sharing a picture of themselves together wearing tennis gear.

The couple first met back in 2001 and tied the knot in 2010. 

Their statement read: ‘After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down.

‘In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change.

‘We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.’

The couple have not commented further on the matter, but Isla reached out to fans in the following weeks, shared a picture of herself looking peaceful in a picturesque garden with the caption: ‘Thank you for all the kindness and support.’

While the split came as a surprise to their fans, it appears the writing was on the wall for Isla’s marriage for years, with Sacha reportedly struggling after making the ‘sacrifice’ to relocate their family to Australia back in 2020.

‘Their marriage has been shaky for years,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively last month. 

‘The breakdown started when they relocated to Australia so that she could be closer to her family. But it left Sacha far removed from everyone he knows.

‘He made this sacrifice for her and would make many sacrifices for her throughout their marriage. He is deeply affected by their split because she was his life for many years.’

While dealing with their heartbreak, the focus has remained on their children.  

The exes are now said to be working out the ‘best arrangement’ for their brood, with Isla currently the one with custody.

‘She has custody of the children and they are still working out the best arrangement so that Sacha is able to be an active part of their lives,’ the source continued.

‘They have much love for each other, but they could not get along and became different people than they were at the beginning of their relationship. 

‘They wanted different things in life in terms of their careers.

‘They had a prenup but it is still very difficult because everything they owned is purchased for the two of them and their family together.’

The insider went on to insist that infidelity had not played a part in their marriage breakdown and that neither party is dating someone new.

They finished: ‘Cheating was not involved on either side and neither are seeing anyone else.’

For now, Sacha is keeping a low-profile and has not been seen in public for weeks. 

In contrast, Isla has thrown herself into work.

Last month she was pictured filming Noah Baumbach’s new movie Jays Kelly with her co-star George Clooney. 

Not much is known about upcoming Netflix movie, however the cast also includes Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent and Billy Crudup. 

This week she was seen on the set of Bridget Jones 4 for the first time after landing a major role alongside Renée Zellweger in the forthcoming film. 

The movie was officially confirmed last month, with Renée and Hugh Grant’s comebacks made official – after his love rat character Daniel Cleaver’s death was falsified in 2016’s third installment.

The fourth movie in the franchise will be released by Universal film on US platform Peacock on Valentine’s Day 2025 while internationally, the flick will be released in cinemas.

When Bridget Jones’ Diary was first released, single women finally felt represented. 

With the fourth film set to examine life after loss, no doubt Isla will take comfort in that same feeling.