The most surprising performance in Fight or Flight comes from Charithra Chandran as Isha, the flight attendant having a very bad day. Viewers who remember Chandran as Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton Season 2 definitely won’t expect what she gets to do in this movie. Chandran holds her own in an action-packed, fast-paced adventure.
In an interview with CBR, Chandran spoke about getting to show viewers something completely different from Bridgerton. She also talked about which surprising roles helped her prepare for the wild journey that Isha has to take. Plus, did the antics in Fight or Flight change her mind about getting on airplanes?
CBR: People were so attached to Edwina’s love story in Bridgerton, that seeing you in this movie is a genuine surprise. Was that part of the fun of Fight or Flight for you?
Charithra Chandran: When you’re part of a project that is that big and has that much exposure — which is amazing — as an actor, you worry that people start seeing you as your character, and that people are going to pigeonhole you in the industry as doing things like that. So I intentionally wanted to do things that felt so different, and that allowed me to flex other muscles. And what a gift Fight or Flight has been, because it’s diametrically opposed to Bridgerton in genre, in tone, in everything. It’s been super-fun.
Some viewers probably won’t remember that this isn’t your first project with some action in it. You also played Sabina in the second season of Alex Rider, and Miss Wednesday in Netflix’s live-action version of One Piece. Did either of those parts wind up helping you in this role?
Alex Rider a hundred percent — because I experienced tonally and genre-wise that. But I would say Fight or Flight felt very different in the sense that we really approached it from a comedic aspect, whereas Alex Ryder tonally is very thriller-based, and it’s much darker. And while I was more familiar with stunts in Alex Rider, I didn’t actually perform any, but I could observe how it works and how it’s filmed and shot.
But One Piece, I would say that my stunt experience on Fight or Flight was an amazing training ground for One Piece, because I shot One Piece after it. And obviously One Piece is super stunt-heavy, and those stunts on One Piece are incredible, much like the stunts on Fight or Flight. So I think that going into One Piece, I felt so much more comfortable and familiar with that world.
What parts of Fight or Flight were the most fun for you? And after getting through the movie, did it give you second thoughts about getting back on an airplane?
I loved my fight scenes, because I’d never done one before. But I think anything with Josh not quite of sane mind was hilarious. And this is the thing — I think that people want entertainment. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously. We’re not trying to make Schindler’s List. I would describe this as a cinematic experience. It’s one of those movies that you should see in the theater because it is so high-impact. I promise you, you’re not going to be bored, you’re not going to fall asleep, you are going to come out of the cinema being like, I’ve been hit by a freight train.
It did [give me second thoughts] at the beginning. [Laughs.] I definitely was clenching every muscle, looking at how I would survive all of the accidents that happen in the film. But that passes — I looked up facts. Flight is the safest mode of transport!
Fight or Flight is in theaters and on demand now.
