An actor’s career is more than just the sum of their most memorable catch-phrases, but that’s sometimes the best they can hope for. Ask the typical movie nerd what comes to mind when they think of Al Pacino, and nine out of ten of them will yell back in a regrettable Cuban accent, “Say hello to my little friend!” Nowhere is this more true than in comedy. Steve Martin could win a dozen Oscars and he’ll still be remembered as the guy who says “Excuuuuuuuse me.” Mike Myers will be asking the rhetorical question “Do I make you horny?” six nights a week on the inevitable Indian casino tour of his future. And Steve Carell, long after The Office is just a distant memory, will never stop being asked to repeat “That’s what she said” like a comedy parrot.
But consider poor Malin Akerman. Her career is still in its infancy, and yet it could be argued that she’s already stuck with the catch-phrase that will follow her forever: “Cock me.” That’s right, “cock me.” When she first uttered this chestnut of inappropriateness, during a sex scene with Ben Stiller in the Farrelly brothers’ 2007 comedy The Heartbreak Kid, it didn’t seem like the sort of thing that had legs. But two years later, it’s still the two words most movie audiences associate with her. Despite appearing in mainstream flicks as diverse as 27 Dresses and Watchmen, if you ask the average person if they recognize the name Malin Akerman, most will respond with, “Oh, you mean the blonde girl who screamed ‘cock me’ to Ben Stiller?”
I called Akerman to ask about her new ensemble comedy, Couples Retreat (which opens nationwide today), and I’ll admit I was anticipating the worst. The ability to repeat funny lines written for you by other people does not automatically mean you have a personality. But she was unflappable and quick-witted and hilariously dirty. When describing how fans would stare at her at ComiCon, she went off on an inspired rant about her need for clarity in their creepiness. “Is that a ‘I loved you in Watchman’ kinda stare,” she wondered aloud. “Or a ‘I want to murder you, cut off your hair as a souvenir and bury you in my crawlspace’ stare? Just let me know up front, that’s all I’m asking.” How do you not fall in love with a woman who can make off-the-cuff jokes about being murdered by comic book fanboys?
Eric Spitznagel: In Couples Retreat, your husband is played by Vince Vaughn, who is freakin’ huge. Did it ever feel like you were acting with a golem?
Malin Akerman: He is absolutely gigantic. He’s like six-five, and I’m only five-eight. The height difference was pretty ridiculous. I’m usually asked not to wear heels in my movies. But this time, to make our relationship look even remotely believable, they had to boost me up by a foot or two. But we were on an island, so obviously heels weren’t an option. For most of our scenes, I was wearing platform flip-flops.
Because otherwise you’d be emoting towards his stomach?
(Laughs.) Yeah, exactly. It’s just easier to act with somebody if it’s eye-to-eye. Or chin-to-eye, which was as far as we got, honestly. It’s better than having to focus on the tummy area.
Does Vince still smell like Jennifer Aniston’s sadness?
(Laughs.) Aw, come on! That’s not nice. No, I can assure you that he doesn’t smell like sadness at all. He smells like… new-found fiancée love.
Is it true that Couple’s Retreat is getting a PG-13 rating?
I know as much as you do. But the last I heard, that’s gonna be our rating. And I think it’s great. I want everybody to be able to see it.
A lot of your fans are going to be disappointed with this movie’s flagrant lack of boobies.
Well, you gotta switch it up every now and then. You know what I mean? Sometimes you gotta make the husband happy. He’s been like (deep sigh), “So is there another crazy sex scene in this one, too?” And finally I can say, “Hey, babe! Guess what? No sex at all!” I like making the fans happy, but you also gotta remember to make your husband happy.
Why are you usually so comfortable doing nude scenes?
If it has a purpose in the film, I’m happy to do it. I won’t do it if it’s gratuitous. That’s not my thing. Especially when it’s comedy, it’s so much easier because you’re doing it for the laugh. It’s not like you’re gonna get all hot and heavy watching The Heartbreak Kid when Ben Stiller and me are going at it and I’m calling him a faggot and telling him to smack me and I’m peeing on his back.
Really? Speak for yourself.
(Laughs.) Okay, I wouldn’t get hot and heavy watching something like that.
Don’t judge me and my fantasies of peeing on Ben Stiller.
In a general sense, it’s more about the comedy than the sexuality of that moment. Also, I think it helps that I grew up in a Swedish culture with a Swedish family. It really isn’t that big of a deal over there. It’s not like people walk around naked or anything like that. But there are breasts on television. It’s just a normal part of what you see every day. So I grew up with a healthy view of sexuality and my body.
Everything I know about Sweden comes from those Swedish Erotica porn films from the 80s. Is that a pretty accurate reflection of your home country?
(Laughs.) Totally. Yeah. We’re like that all the time. Those movies are almost like a documentary.
So sex is the official Swedish currency and everybody looks like Seka?
Yeah, pretty much. You know what? You should head over there and find out. I’m just trying to encourage tourism in Sweden. But don’t give out my number if people get disappointed. I don’t want to get any calls like, “Where are all the horny platinum blondes?”
You had some great comic quotables in Heartbreak Kid, all of which are a little X-rated. Do you have a lot of fans running up to you on the street and saying, “Cock me?”
(Laughs.) More than I’d care to admit. I can tell right away when somebody recognizes me from that film, because their faces turn a nice shade of red. “Oh my god, you’re that girl! You’re the one who said ‘cock me’ to Ben Stiller!” There’s really no point in denying it. “Yep, that would be me. And wow, thanks so much for bringing that up when I’m standing here next to my brother and sister.”
It’s been said that life imitates art, and vice-versa. Have you, or anyone you’ve known, ever requested that a partner cock you?
It’s never happened to me, but I was curious if that line was derived from a true story. I will tell you that it was somebody on the Heartbreak Kid crew and he claims that a girl actually yelled “cock me” at his face while they were doing the deed.
You know it’s going to be a good interview when “Couples Retreat” star Malin Akerman starts off by saying, “Time to unwind, undress and get skinny-dipping!”
Coolest woman ever? Probably. Mind you, her call to party wasn’t completely out of context. MTV News had traveled quite a ways to hang out with Akerman and her co-stars Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and Jon Favreau. On this particular day in paradise, Akerman decided to mix up some cocktails in the midst of an interview — what she dubbed a Bora Bora margarita: pineapple nectar subbing in for lime juice.
“I like my stuff strong,” she warned. “I don’t know about you guys.”
Vince Vaughn, who said he prefers a beer or a Greyhound, with maybe a little cranberry juice thrown in if he’s in the mood, was impressed. “Yet another thing to throw on the résumé of awesomeness,” he told her, adding that getting drunk during an interview is usually a very bad idea
We disagree, Vince! How else would we learn, as you confessed with a laugh at one point, that your vacation of choice is not on a tropical island but somewhere you can “be in full chaps doing a cattle drive”?
As the booze flowed, the hilarity ensued. When it came to substantive answers, though, we’d probably have to rely on earlier, alcohol-free interviews, when we hit up Akerman, Vaughn and the rest of the cast with pop-quizzes about another. After all, they’d spent a couple months hanging out together, making this film about couples who head to an idyllic setting for vacation and end up in the midst of no-holds-bared relationship therapy. How much do they really know about their fellow stars?
Bell knew that Bateman got his start on “Little House on the Prairie,” though Bateman couldn’t name the HBO show on which Bell appeared (“Deadwood”). Akerman and Vaughn both struck out: she couldn’t name his first movie (“Rudy”), he couldn’t name her HBO show (“The Comeback”). And when it came to Favreau and Davis, well, Jon decided to rephrase some of the questions.
“What game did I play that would have made it impossible for us to have slept together in high school?” he asked.
“Badminton?” Davis laughed. “Volleyball?”
If you must know, the answer is Dungeons & Dragons.
From MTV
Malin was interviewed by Reelz Channel at the Bora Bora press junket and the premiere of the film. You can view both videos below!
Malin Akerman has made a career of being a chameleon. She was Katherine Heigl’s blonde bombshell sister in 27 Dresses, the dark-haired, sultry superhero in Watchmen and now she’s red-headed Ronnie, a mom of two married to Vince Vaughn in the comedy Couples Retreat. Off screen, the 31-year-old actress is happily married to musician Roberto Zincone, whom she met when they were in a band together. “He was the drummer in the band, which is a fantastic way to meet a man,” she says. “Musicians are very, very sexy.” iVillage spoke with Akerman about how she keeps things with her significant other strong, which costar was brave enough to go commando during a scene and why her tresses are ever-changing.
There’s a scene in Couples Retreat in which you’re totally annoyed by your husband when you ask him to help you pick out fixtures and he says, “I like the silver one” — and they’re all silver. Why can every couple can relate to that?
For guys, certain things are not that important. I know because my husband is a drummer and he’s obsessed, of course, with drums. So he’s on Web sites all the time and he’s like, “Baby, baby, which one do you like best?” and I’m like, “That one, with the silver things on it.” And he says, “They all have silver things on them.” It could be reversed. It’s like when women walk in with a new dress and you’re super-excited and you’re like, “Baby, what do you think about this?” and he says, “Oh, it’s nice.” That’s just the wrong answer.
What did Couples Retreat teach you about relationships?
That they’re complicated. I’ve been in a relationship for the past six years, and I think the one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t lose sight of the person that you’re with. A lot of times when life happens you forget about your significant other and they fall into third place in your list of important things in life and you can’t do that. My husband and I have a date night once a week and we go to a restaurant or he cooks and we have dinner together. But then the phones are off and it’s just me and him.
What’s your advice for couples so that they don’t end up on a therapy retreat?
Having fun together is super-important. If you don’t do it, then your partner becomes a chore. The bedroom is very important as well. It keeps a relationship strong. That, and it’s sort of the cliché, but if you’ve got a good communication system, then you’re golden. My husband and I have not once in six years had a yelling match. We’ve actually sat down and communicated and listened. The great thing — and the reason I married this man — is because he listens and he does something about it, which is rare.
You’ve never had a yelling match?
It’s so crazy. It really is. That’s one of the things that make you say, “Wow this is so easy. It’s so easy. Is it supposed to be this easy?” and I finally just swallowed that pill and said after four years of being together, “Well, I guess this is the right relationship.” I’m pretty proud of myself. I’ve had some bad ones, so that’s why I was so shocked.
One of the first scenes you shot was of the four couples having to strip down to their skivvies in front of each other.
It’s a good way to get to know people right away. And Faizon Love went completely commando in that. For real. That wasn’t hard to act out. It was completely authentic. Literally he pulled down his drawers and there he was. All of him. It was fantastic. It was really brave on his part.
You’ve changed your look a lot. Your hair is red in this movie. You were blonde in 27 Dresses and a very dark brunette in Watchmen.
You know, it really isn’t by choice. I could do it just as good blonde, that’s no problem. It’s been quite the journey for my hair. It actually has never been my decision to go a different color with the hair. It always had to do with the character. I think this one was more production’s decision. I kind of agreed with them, just because she is a stay-at-home mom, and she’s more involved with her kids and getting the house ready. If you’ve ever been blonde, it’s a lot of upkeep to go in and get your highlights done and all that. And I think for Ronnie, that’s not realistic.
What color is next?
I don’t know. Maybe purple. We’ll see.
From iVillage
How Well Do ‘Couples Retreat’ Stars Know Each Other?
Malin Akerman, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis are quizzed on their knowledge of each other.
Come for the laughs, stay for the nudity. That may not be the official tagline for the new Vince Vaughn comedy “Couples Retreat,” but it could certainly work. The movie takes place almost entirely at an insanely picturesque resort in the middle of tropical French Polynesia, requiring the actors to spend their days in bikinis, swim shorts and other revealing beach gear. No one takes it all off — this is, alas, a PG-13 affair — but there’s plenty of flesh-baring screen time for Vaughn and co-stars Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis.
Especially, Vaughn emphasized to MTV News, for the men. “We know what the kids like,” he joked. “If me and the guys are going to show some skin around, we know the ladies are going to show up. That’s what we do.”
“That’s how they lure us in,” Akerman confirmed. ” ‘Hey, ladies, we are getting naked today,’ and we say, ‘We are gonna be there!’ ”
“I’m a servant to my craft,” Vaughn deadpanned. “If the scene calls for it, I’m gonna do it. Thankfully, diet and exercise are high on my list.”
Diet and exercise high on Vaughn’s list? This seemed to come as news to an amused Akerman. She and Vaughn play one of four couples — along with Bell and Bateman, Favreau and Davis, and Faizon Love and Kali Hawk — who head to the tropical destination, some to work on their marriage, others to speed the dissolution of their matrimonial bond. Chatting with Akerman during the interview, Vaughn was quick to compare his workout regimen to how one cares for an automobile.
“You don’t take the car out and drive it 100 miles per hour every day — you’re going to burn that car out,” he said. “Take the car out maybe once, twice a week, 30, 35 miles per hour. Keep it in the speed limit. Maybe 55 on a highway. Turn off that engine. Shut it down. Let it cool off.”
According to Bateman, one castmember in particular had no problem rocking swimwear in front of the camera. “Favreau’s got mad confidence,” he said.
Bateman himself admitted that he didn’t quite share Fav’s self-assurance. “I’m three months of a personal trainer away from anything non-comedic,” he said.
From MTV
Career on the rise for Swedish- Canadian actress.
Malin Akerman knows all about challenges. The Toronto actress accepted the demanding Silk Spectre role in the film adaptation of last winter’s R-rated Watchmen.
But that experience didn’t prepare her for entering the hyper-kinetic Vince Vaughn world of rapier-like snappy patter in the romantic comedy Couples Retreat, which opens on Friday.
“It’s a very different skill set, because Vince’s brain works a million times a minute,” admits Akerman during a recent telephone interview.
In the Peter Billingsley-directed movie, Akerman plays Vaughn’s wife, who is focused on redecorating and child rearing and not much else.
On an impulse, they decide to join three other couples on a South Pacific tropical island to get away from it all, but find out too late that marital therapy sessions come with the vacation package – and they aren’t optional.
That’s the cue for some rapid-fire exchanges between all of the couples, some scripted by Vaughn, Swingers buddy and Iron Man director Jon Favreau who also co-stars and their friend Dana Fox.
Other bits were improvised during rehearsal or during filming. And while Akerman acknowledges she was a newcomer to the process, she learned quickly, thanks to Vaughn and Favreau.
“We had lots of time to work on the dialogue,” says the actress who shot Couples Retreat with the cast and crew for almost four weeks on Bora Bora in Tahiti.
The good news for all concerned was that “Vaughn and Favreau were very inclusive” in their patented free-form style.
“There were moments, actually,” confesses Akerman, “where I’d be in a scene and I’d be enjoying myself watching them so much I’d forget I had to say my line.”
The other couples in the group have their moments, too. Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell are finely tuned as the compulsive planners. Favreau and Kristin Davis get laughs as the husband and wife wondering why the thrill is gone. Faizon Love and Kali Hawk are the older divorced guy and younger doll who don’t connect.
“I think you have to give big kudos to the casting,” says Akerman who points out the actors had good chemistry on camera and off.
They were also strong for each other during the hot and humid days of filming. “Sometimes, it was tough when you’d have that water so close to you, ” says the actress. “All you wanted to do was sit by the pool and have a pina colada.”
The cast made sure they didn’t complain too much. “You don’t get much sympathy from your friends when you’re moaning about work and your office is Bora Bora.”