Malin Akerman, Topher Grace and Rich Sommer star in The Giant Mechanical Man. The movie premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Malin Akerman realizes that there are critics of her performance of Silk Spectre II in “Watchmen,” Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel. To be honest, Akerman is so charming in person, I didn’t know quite how to delve into that subject — a subject that I’ve always wanted to discuss with the Swedish born actor. Admittedly, I was surprised when a fairly general question about “Watchmen” led Akerman into such an open critique about her performance. As Akerman acknowledges, she is her “own worst critic.”
Akerman is in New York City for the premiere of her Tribeca Film Festival offering, “The Giant Mechanical Man.” In the indie film, Akerman plays Jill, the overbearing younger sister of Janice (Jenna Fischer), an underachiever who falls for a local street performer.
Here, Akerman discusses why she enjoys indie films (even when she has to shave off her eyebrows), explains what it’s like to hang out with Nicolas Cage, and takes a introspective look back at “Watchmen.”
These seats are set up like Frost-Nixon. “You’re in trouble now, I’m going to get to the bottom of all of this and get the answers that America wants.”
“I’m sorry I did it, OK?”
These festival interviews happen so fast. I’m concerned that by the end of this we won’t get to the essence of Malin Akerman.
[Laughs] We’ll have to do that another day, where we spend the day trying to do that.
When you first saw the title, were you like, “Yeah, an action-robot movie — I’m in”? It sounds like it could be a “Transformers” hybrid.
It does! It totally does. I had no idea what it would be about. My agent called and said, “I have this great little film. It’s an indie called “The Giant Mechanical Man.” And I’m like, “What in the world is that about?” But I loved it. And I loved that it’s very character based.
You’ve played the sister role before. What did you like about this particular sister?
I don’t know. You know, it’s so funny because, honestly, when I first got this script, they were thinking of me more for Pauline — which Lucy Punch ended up playing. It’s a great role, but I was the one who was drawn to the sister role. Because she’s a little bit more crazy. I mean, there’s so many different levels to her and I guess I’m always drawn to that. And that usually ends up being the sister or the best friend. So I was actually the one who suggested to them that maybe they want to consider me for Jill. And they went, “Oh, OK, cool. Why not?”
Is that normal? Can you just show up and say that you want to play a different role?
No. No, that’s not normal.
Like, they brought you in to play Silk Spectre II and you told them, “No, I want to play Nite Owl.”
[Laughs] Right, then they were like, “You’re a little too feminine for it.” And I said, “What do you mean?” But, no, that’s not a normal thing. Of course not. It hadn’t been cast yet and I just felt like, Well, I might as well just offer the option. The worst that can happen is that they say, “No.”
How do you pick your roles? I feel they are fairly eclectic for someone not really known as being eclectic. Does that make sense?
It does make sense. And I think it’s more because most of the movies that people have seen have been the comedies.
A year and a half after it was announced she was taking over the role of former porn star-turned-women’s rights advocate Linda Lovelace from Lindsay Lohan, Malin Akerman says the film’s future is in doubt.
“I don’t know if that’s even going to go,” Akerman told The Hollywood Reporter in a sit-down chat in New York, where she is promoting her new dramedy The Giant Mechanical Man. “Last I heard, which was just before Christmas, we were supposed to start shooting in March, and now it’s April. It’s been one of those doomed films that I absolutely love and totally believe in, I love the script, I think it’s such a well-written script about the behind-the-scenes of a battered woman.”
The issue, she says, has largely been financing.
“It’s a big one to take a chance on because it’s really some heavy content. So I don’t know what’s been going on, I don’t know why it hasn’t gone yet. I would hope and love for it to go, but now this other movie is coming on that Amanda Seyfried did, and I kind of feel like, ‘Shit, we should have been on that, we should have done it,’ ” she said.
Lovelace is a cultural icon and playing her would require great preparation — which has proven to be another difficulty for Akerman amid all the uncertainty.
“I started a little bit, I read her book and started going on the internet, trying to find pictures and interviews with her, but honestly, after the first sort of let down of, ‘Oh, we’re going, now we’re not going.’ I said, ‘Okay, next time they say we’re going, I’ll wait until the money is in escrow and we’re ready to go and then I’ll start prepping,’ ” the actress explained. “I don’t want to wrap myself up again, and then it’s, again, you know it’d be going into a really dark place so I didn’t want to go there a million times and then get the plug pulled.”
At least she isn’t hurting for work.
Akerman already has a 2012 calendar filled with plane trips, premieres and shoots. The Swedish-Canadian actress has a total of eight films that have been or will be released and a TV pilot with Portia De Rossi in contention for a series order.
Malin Akerman just can’t seem to shake nudity in her films!
In her new comedy, “Wanderlust,” Malin and co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are surrounded by nudists and in her upcoming project, “Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story,” the actress will show off plenty of skin chronicling the life of porn star Linda Lovelace.
But just how far will she go?
“I’m sure there will be some nudity [in ‘Inferno’],” the 33-year-old actress told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Thursday’s Access Hollywood Live.
Billy asked if she would bare all for the movie if asked to.
“We will have to see,” she explained. “I’m not against it, if it makes sense…that’s a little scary when you say that out loud. But, we’ll have to discuss that.”
And with another project about the adult film star already in the works – “Lovelace” starring Amanda Seyfried – Malin told Billy and Kit that she’s itching to get her project going.
“We’re still waiting on the financing to come in, so hopefully it will come soon. And one is already done. We gotta hurry up,” she said.
When the project does get the go-ahead, Malin will be ready for the challenges of the role.
“I am ready to roll, absolutely,” the actress continued. “It’s a very dark story of her life as an abused woman and it will be a dark place to go into, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“Wanderlust” opens on February 24.
In the hilarious new comedy Wanderlust, over-extended and over-stressed Manhattanites George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) leave their over-priced micro-loft in the West Village and stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community populated by very colorful, sexually adventurous characters, including alpha male Seth (Justin Theroux) and free-spirit Eva (Malin Akerman). Surrounded by nudists, a former porn star, and a woman with no boundaries, even in the bathroom, this seemingly refreshing way of looking at things quickly makes George and Linda question whether staying there is the right thing for them to do.
During a press conference at the film’s press day, co-stars Justin Theroux and Malin Akerman talked about working with director David Wain, how much input they had into their characters, how awkward it is to be wearing clothes when you’re surrounded by nudists, how hard it was to keep a straight face (Akerman was the one to break character the most), and how excited they both are for their next feature film, Rock of Ages (Akerman has a role in it while Theroux co-wrote it), due out in theaters in June.
Question: Justin, how did you work on the look for your character, with the hair and beard?
JUSTIN THEROUX: It’s something that happens naturally, out of my face, but not so much out of my head. I had a wig for my hair, and then I had to grow a beard out. Then, I actually had to grow it again. There was a scene that David [Wain] wanted to pick up, right after I shaved it. He said, “Hey, in about a month, we’re going to do this other scene. Can you grow it back?” And, after you’ve lived in Georgia in the summertime with a beard that big, it’s a pain in the ass. I don’t mind a little scruff, but it’s like going to bed with a small animal, like a hamster, living on your face. There were definitely days I wanted to unhook it, but did not.
Do either of you think open relationships like the ones at this commune can work?
MALIN AKERMAN: I don’t think so.
THEROUX: No.
AKERMAN: I think it’s complicated enough to have a relationship and make that work properly. To then try to incorporate three or four more people, or six or seven, is a lot of work.
THEROUX: That’s called being single, or being divorced.
AKERMAN: Moving and shaking it is fine, if that’s your thing, for sure.
Looking like something straight out of a science fiction movie, Tesla Motors debuted their Model X prototype to the delight of Hollywood’s greenest celebrities.
The electric-powered SUV made its mark last Thursday in Los Angeles and Malin Akerman was one of the first to test drive the wheels.
“I think this is the future [of green technology],” said the Rock of Ages star. “We just went for a test drive and it’s amazing… It goes from zero to 60 in no time.”
Jason Ritter also the star-studded launch, telling ET “I like things that make me feel like we’re living in the future…Once we have run out of all the gas and all the oil, we’ll have to be all driving these kinds of things and I wanna see what it’s going to be like.”
Garcelle Beauvais and Tim Daly also attended the event for which the band Foster the People performed.
Watch the above below to hear from the celebrities in attendance and see more of the new electric car, slated for a 2014 release.
Demi Moore’s exit from “Lovelace” has given a lot of attention to the currently filming biopic of the “Deep Throat” star. But there are more than one Linda Lovelace films in development at the moment. There’s also the Malin Akerman starring “Inferno” to consider — though much like the fiery title, Akerman believes it’s time to light a “fire under” the project, or walk away entirely.
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“Either we have to do it now, or we have to let it go,” she told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival. “That’s one of the potentials that might be happening within the next month or two. We’ll see.”
Akerman thinks that both “Inferno” and “Lovelace” can coexist, however, due to tremendous differences between the movies.
“They’re very different films, even though they’re about the same [person],” she said. “They’re adapted very, very differently. We’ve had the privilege of seeing the other film, and it’s beautifully written, but it’s really different from the one we’re doing. It’ll be two different versions of her life story.”
Different in what ways, you ask? Take it from Akerman: “It’s very dark. It would be delving into some dark, dark places. It’s very much about an abused woman and what life is like being in that situation.”
Another important thing to note: “I’m not making a porn, I promise. No porn. You can go to the XXX stores for those.”
“Of course it’s a little bit daunting when you have somebody out there already doing [a similar movie], but at the same time, it becomes more of a challenge. It’s exciting,” Akerman said of the “Inferno” process. “This will be a bit darker, and crazy, but beautifully written. I really do hope we have the opportunity to do it.”