Los Angeles, Jun 26 (IANS): Actress Isla Fisher, who shot a death-defying underwater escape for "Now You See Me", says she wanted to turn down the role initially as performing stunts in action movies terrifies her.

In the film, the Australian actress plays an illusionist. She admits she even gets scared just driving around Los Angeles, reports dailystar.co.uk. But she believes she has become better with stunts over time.

"I now understand the lure of action movies - I never could before. I am a bit of a fraidy cat. My first instinct was to decline the role, politely. I'm so afraid of regular things. Driving. People say, 'Take the freeway,' and I'm like, 'There are so many cars on the freeway, I'm taking the side roads.' I wanted to learn to be braver, and I think I did," said Fisher.

She has previously recounted how shooting that one scene for the movie almost ended in tragedy when the chains holding her down became tangled.