To no one’s surprise, filming Couples Retreat in Bora Bora doesn’t compare to the harsh winters of Toronto.

“It’s not really comparable, no,” admits Malin Akerman from her downtown Toronto hotel room. “Bora Bora was a lot warmer and instead of snow on the ground, we had blue water and it was paradise. It was incredible.”

But the idyllic setting of Couples Retreat wasn’t the only draw for the Torontonian actress, who jumped at the chance to work with hilarious stars like Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell. The film, which comes out on DVD Friday, follows four couples who travel to the tropics for couples counseling, only to be caught off guard by the resort’s unorthodox methods – a set up that provides plenty of opportunity for improvisation.

“You look at the cast and you go, ‘Please. I would do that anywhere in the world,’” Malin adds. “The thing that I love about that, working with people who are a few steps ahead, it just ups your game. I always love having a challenge, and you are playing with the big guys.”

And the film wasn’t without other challenges, either: the 31-year-old actress admits she lost it a little bit when she had to swim with lemon sharks.

“When we went out to do that, our hearts were beating triple time,” Akerman remembers. “But once you get in there, it’s calm and beautiful, and sharks are beautiful, beautiful animals. And they’re more scared of you than you are of them – which, of course, you only learn once you’re in the water. But beforehand, I was freaking out, for sure.”

In their tropical paradise, the Couples Retreat cast got to know each other very well, very quickly: the first scene to be shot involved the stars stripping down to their underwear, and costar Faizon Love proved his commitment by going completely nude.

“That was a bit of a shocking moment! It was great for our reactions, which were real. We were like, ‘Yep, and you are completely naked. That is awesome.’” Akerman laughs. “A lot of times, what you do, as a man in the business, and you have a nude scene, there’s a sock, a type of sock that’s made especially for that area. And he just decided that he didn’t want to wear the sock! Which is cool; totally up to him, you know. But it shocked us all, definitely.”

Clearly, the cast and crew did something right: Couples Retreat made $107 million in the US and an additional $50 million around the world. Akerman theorizes that despite the unusual setting and the heightened comedy, audiences reacted to how relatable the film’s characters are.

“I think people are going to be able to relate to one or the other couple. We all have relationships in our lives, whether it’s love relationships or friendships. You know, it’s about a little bit of everything,” she muses. “I think it definitely is these regular people who live their lives and work hard, and they get to go to paradise — and I think anyone can relate to that sort of want. Working really hard and doing construction on the house and all that kind of stuff, and then fantasizing about going away on a vacation.”

Since Couples Retreat, Akerman looked to expand her acting horizons, taking on a challenging role in Happythankyoumoreplease, the directing debut of How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor. Akerman plays a woman with alopecia universalis, a condition that causes most of one’s hair to fall out – quite the departure for the gorgeous, statuesque blonde.

“It’s a complex role. The story is this ensemble cast, all of them on their own quest for love, and me, being a woman with alopecia, that presents an extra obstacle in finding a love of your life, because some men can’t accept that,” Akerman says. “Sometimes, in anyone’s career, sometimes you feel like you’re hitting a wall and you need to get to the next level or the next phase. And Josh helped me out with that.”

That’s not to say that Akerman is turning her back on films like Couples Retreat: she admits that she’d do a sequel on a second’s notice.

“It would be fun! I’d definitely be in,” she says. “But maybe not swimming with sharks.”

Couples Retreat is out on Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 5.

From Dose.ca

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