Isla Fisher enjoys embracing her "inner idiot".

Isla Fisher

Isla Fisher

The 41-year-old actress has admitted she's been in touch with her silly side since she was a child, because she had to find a way to "make friends really quickly" as she was always moving schools.

Speaking on UK television programme 'Loose Women', Isla said: "My parents sent me to a different school every year 'til I started high school. I was born in the Middle East, raised in Scotland, and emigrated to Australia.

"I had to make friends really quickly, because I was always moving schools. That's why I love books so much, they were my friend when I was the new girl.

"I'm very comfortable tapping into my inner idiot, when you make people laugh they're easier to connect to."

And the 'Nocturnal Animals' star certainly showed her love for comedy when she met her husband Sacha, as their pair initially bonded over their shared experiences with clown schools.

Isla revealed recently: "We both went to clown school. I went to Jacques Lecoq and he studied with Philippe Gaulier, then we both studied bouffon, white mask and commedia dell'arte. That definitely attracted me to him."

Isla - who found huge success in Hollywood with 'Wedding Crashers' - also praised 45-year-old Sacha for showing her how funny she can be after they first met at a party in Sydney and he told her she was hilarious.

She said: "He continued to compliment me and inspired me to have the courage to ask my agent to send me for comedic work. I auditioned for 'Wedding Crashers' and was lucky enough to get the gig."

Meanwhile, although Isla is happy to gush about her husband's career, she is fiercely protective of their private life.

She said: "I'm so nervous to talk about my personal life. We live in this age of iPhones and tablets and Instagram and Twitter, and all privacy seems to be gone. My relationship is so important to me - it's been 17 years...

"I would feel sick to my stomach if I thought that I needed to talk about my family to sell my books or movies. It would feel like I had no integrity."