Film School Rejects has a long interview with “Elektra Luxx” director Sebastian Gutierrez, Malin and co-star Carla Gugino.
Watch the interview below!
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.”
amNewYork caught up with Malin Akerman and Kate Mara, two of the stars of the ensemble cast of “happythankyoumoreplease.”
Is this your first time at Sundance? How does it feel?
MA: I’ve been dying to come to Sundance since I started acting in LA. I’ve heard so much about it. It feels a little more relaxed. You can’t show up to the red carpet in a nice gown. I mean, it’s snowing outside.
KM: It’s not my first trip. I was here two years ago with a film I did called “Transsiberian.” All I ever do when I’m not working is see movies. I’m the biggest movie nerd.
What else do you like to do when you’re not working?
KM: I also love to shop, and I love to watch football (Kate’s grandfather was Giants founder Timothy Mara).
MA: I don’t do sports. I’m a foodie. That’s what I do. My husband is Italian, so that’s a big hobby of mine … cooking and finding new restaurants. I used to draw a lot. I do a lot of sketches of people, which I have to get back into.
Do you watch any Food Network shows?
MA: No, I really don’t. My husband has taught me a lot. He’s a fantastic cook. He’s Italian and a drummer, so there’s also a lot of music in our life. And that’s probably a big hobby, too. We go and see a lot of independent bands in LA.
Back to the film. Malin, you play Annie, who has alopecia. What did it feel like to be shown on camera without hair?
MA: Shaving off the eyebrows and wearing a bald cap was kind of freeing. It was the first time I looked in the mirror and saw somebody else. I felt like Annie became more of an interesting person because of her alopecia. It was more about finding that character than even the lack of hair.
Kate, you blew us away with your singing voice in the movie. Are you a trained singer? KM: When I was 9, I decided I wanted to be in musicals. My mom loves old films and musicals like “Oklahoma!” and every Judy Garland film you could watch, so that’s what I grew up watching. That was my dream. And, eventually, when I started doing films, there was never really an opportunity for me to sing. So I haven’t sung in such a long time that it felt like I was 14 again. It’s such a different thing to sing in a film than it is to act. For me, I had to be much more vulnerable.
From am New York
Fans of “Arrested Development” have been waiting patiently for a movie version of the television series since the show’s finale in 2006. If word on the street is to be believed, series creator Mitch Hurwitz is hard at work on the screenplay — it’s just a matter of finishing the thing and getting the cast members on the same schedule.
There’s at least one “Arrested Development” alumnus itching to get back into his manchild clothing and false limb — none other than Buster himself, actor Tony Hale. When MTV News spoke with the comedian at the Sundance Film Festival, Hale said that he and every other cast member from the series are eagerly awaiting the script.
“I actually talked to Mitch last week and he’s writing it, and [the cast members] are all on board,” said Hale. “We’re all stoked to do it.”
While Hale is eager to resume his dysfunctional relationship with the rest of the Bluth family, he also feels that waiting could be a good thing.
“I want [Hurwitz] to take his time, because the writing is such a surprise,” he said. “One week you go, okay, a seal is going to bite off your hand. By the way, Liza Minnelli is going to be your girlfriend. There are all these surprises and we want those surprises, so I want to give him as much time [as he needs].”
Speaking of Minnelli — who played Buster’s longtime lover Lucille Two on the show — Hale hopes that she’ll return for the film.
“I would love for Liza to come back,” he said. “She is such a dear. She would sit and tell us stories about her life — it was awesome!”
But Buster might have other plans. During the interview, Hale’s “HappyThankYouMorePlease” co-star Malin Akerman declared her desire to have a role in the “Arrested Development” movie, which Hale was more than happy to accommodate.
“Malin’s going to be Buster’s girlfriend,” he joked. “He’s going from Liza Minnelli to Malin Akerman.”
As far as where he wants Buster to go in the film, Hale said he only had one suggestion for Hurwitz.
“I did mention that I want Buster to be on ‘American Idol,’” he said. “But he didn’t like that idea.”
Malin Akerman is that rare kind of woman who can look smoking hot while making you laugh at the same time. Her performance opposite Ben Stiller in The Heartbreak Kid as a psycho woman who marries Stiller’s character on a whim was enough to convince us that there was a prettier, funnier Jennifer Aniston in Tinseltown. Maybe it stems from her Canadian roots — our neighbors to the North are known for their self-deprecating humor — but Akerman has no qualms about playing the girl who doesn’t get the guy in the end, but makes you laugh the whole time she’s doing it (see 27 Dresses, The Proposal and The Heartbreak Kid). In real life, unfortunately, she did get the guy; the 31-year-old actress has been married to Italian musician Roberto Zincone since 2007.
Malin Akerman will go down in history, along with Emmanuelle Chriqui and Kevin Connolly, for giving HBO one of the network’s finest moments: the Entourage threesome scene. Akerman talked exclusively to AskMen.com about her continued friendship with threesome pal Chriqui, her upcoming movies The Romantics and HappyThankYouMorePlease, tattoos, and our list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2010.
Q1: AskMen.com : You are one of AskMen.com’s Women of the Year for 2010. The winners are selected by our readers, so is there anything that you would like to say to them? Malin Akerman : Now, is it true that Emmanuelle Chriqui is No. 1?
Q2: AM : It is! MA : Yes! First of all then, I would like to say to the readers, thank you. I am obviously extremely flattered that they thought of me. And I also want to comment and say that I think they did right by choosing Emmanuelle who I got to have a threesome with — just to make the boys jealous, if they remember from Entourage. So boys, good choice on your No. 1. She is an awesome person and a hot momma.
Q3: AM : She told me this week when I spoke to her – after I told her that you were also on the list: “That girl is the sh*t!” MA : Em is awesome! We just literally had dinner two nights ago. She is the sweetest thing in the world. She’s a great choice. She’s beautiful inside and out.
Q4: AM : She was telling me this amazing story of you two becoming friends and knowing that you were going to stay friends, and that you invited her to your wedding in Italy soon after you met on the set of Entourage. MA : Yes, I did! From day one, we just loved each other. It was just crazy because we both grew up in Canada in Toronto. We have six degrees of separation: I was in love with her boyfriend. I went to the same school as her boyfriend, and she went to a different school. He was a guy who was two years older than me, and I had the biggest crush on him. I always wondered why he wouldn’t give me the time of day, and then I find out years and years later that he was dating Emmanuelle. I thought, “No wonder he wouldn’t look the other way!” It was so random and funny. We definitely did become instant friends. And — you know — once you have a fake threesome with someone you become friends for life.
Q5: AM : He says hi too. I wondered with you being in so many comedies if that was something you pursued or if that was something that just happened? MA : It was something that just happened. Once you do a film that people see, of course they kind of put you in that genre and know that you can do it. Until you prove otherwise, I think those are the kind of scripts that come my way. That’s why I was seeking to do something other than comedy, which is why I hit two birds with one stone when I got Watchmen because it was a really amazing genre film and it was also a serious film. And this year I have been in three independent films that are not comedy to just exercise that muscle and show people that I can do a little bit of everything. I’d love to do all types of film, not just comedy, although I love comedy.
Q6: AM : I saw that you have two films at Sundance. MA : I do! I have one that’s called HappyThankYouMorePlease and the other one is called The Romantics. They’re both really amazing films — I hope they will be after the editing. I just love them and the casts and the characters. I am heading down there this week. I am actually on the way to the airport. I have been in Toronto doing some press for the Couples Retreat DVD release, so I’m headed back to L.A. and then going to Sundance right away.
Q7: AM : I heard that you were actually a frontwoman for a band. Is that something you still do on the side? MA : It’s not current, no. It was many years ago. All the boys who were in the band are all doing there own projects now. It was amazing and fun, but I don’t think I’m ever going to be a singer. I tried, and it’s not really — thank God for Auto-Tune.
Q8: AM : How did that happen then, that you became part of a band? MA : Really randomly. I had done a tiny little indie film in L.A. the first year that I was out there. The guitarist of the band was doing some editing for the movie. We met, and he told me that he was a guitarist. I opened my big mouth and said: “Well, who doesn’t fantasize about being a rock star? That’s so cool.” And he said: “Actually, I am kind of in between projects, so why don’t you help me write some songs?” He’s Italian, and I helped [the band] write some lyrics. He said: “Why don’t you try singing it?” We started writing some songs and a producer got interested. He already had the band with his drummer and his bassist. Instead of walking away with a record deal, I walked away with a husband… which is the drummer, not the guitarist.
Q9: AM : You seem like the type of person who does things on a whim. MA : Yeah, it just kind of happened that way. It’s a nice way to live life for a while and then after a minute you go: “I hope something catches on so I can start making some money.” Thank God the acting picked up and I got some amazing opportunities.
Q10: AM : You started off obviously as a model. What made you make the crossover from modeling to acting? MA : Modeling was never anything that was a career choice. I did catalog work in Toronto to make money so that I could go to school. I was going to university studying child psychology because I wanted to become a child psychologist. I didn’t think I was going to be a model or actress or anything, but when you do modeling you also get sent out for TV commercials. They then asked if I wanted to go out for some guest star roles. I saw the dollar signs and I thought, “Great, I can pay for my university.” It just kind of caught me off guard that I loved it. I thought, “I’m a little burned out on school so why not give this a shot?” It worked out. It didn’t happen overnight.
Q11: AM : What was your first real role? MA : The funny thing is that I actually did a pilot in Canada for an MTV show with Rachel McAdams a long, long time ago. It never aired or got picked up, so you’ll never see it. Nobody ever will, which is probably a good thing! But I am so happy for her that she is doing so well. She is such an awesome girl.
Q12: AM : Who is actually the funniest real-life costars who made being onset awesome? MA : Funnily enough, I will have to say Billy Crudup who is not a comedian. He is super witty and his humor is dry and sarcastic. He made a lot of us laugh on set.
Q13: AM : I read somewhere that you’d have a sleeve of tattoos if you could. MA : Yes!
Q14: AM : How many do you have at the moment? MA : I have two, and I think I am going to have to stop there because it’s really hard when doing films to cover them up. It’s the extra amount of hours in the make-up chair just to cover them. It’s not worth it. I prefer my sleep over sitting in a make-up chair. But if I were in any other business that allowed me to have more tattoos, I would. I’m a little obsessed. I think they’re pretty amazing, especially when they are beautiful and well done.
Q15: AM : You have one that’s a lotus leaf. You were raised Buddhist? MA : Yeah. The lotus is a really cool flower. It grows in the mud without roots, so it is a symbol of you creating your own life and your own karma without having to tie it back to your roots and past and not letting that hold you back. It’s a nice meaning.
Q16: AM : And can you tell us a little bit about what The Romantics is about? MA : Yeah! I like to compare it to The Big Chill many years ago. It’s a group of college friends who get together for somebody’s wedding. It takes place the night before the wedding at the rehearsal dinner. It’s a night of fun and drinks and a lot of secrets that come out and a lot of hook-ups. It’s a debaucherous evening based on Galt Niederhoffer’s book The Romantics.
From Askmen.com
Malin was interviewed by Artisan News Service recently – you can view the interview at Youtube.
Hot actress of 2009, Malin Akerman, talks about the holidays, her favorite place to be, what it’s like on Sweden, and her dearest memory.
Malin Akerman split her childhood between Toronto and Sweden before becoming a model at 17, which eventually led to a career in acting.
Akerman’s profile has been steadily rising with high profile roles in films like The Heartbreak Kid and Watchmen. She has split her time between comedies and drama, which the young actress relishes.
“I don’t have a preference to be honest with you. Comedy and drama are so different and I enjoy doing everything as an actor,” Akerman told Metro. “As long as it’s a challenge, I’ll try it all. Bring it on.”
Akerman’s latest venture is a project from Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (who burst onto the screen with Swingers in 1996). The pair co-wrote and star in Couples Retreat — opening next week — a comedy about a group of married couples who embark on a tropical vacation only to unwittingly end up in a weeklong series of skill-building exercises and therapy sessions.
For Akerman the film was an opportunity to work with two comic minds that she has long admired. “I heard that there was a film being made with Vince Vaughn and I knew that they were looking for their girls,” said Akerman. “I got my hands on the script and thought it was a really great concept.”
Malin landed the job and soon found herself on a plane to Bora Bora. Beyond the tropical location there was still a film to be made and one starring some pretty sharp comic minds. This led to a great deal of improvisation on set, which Akerman enjoys.
“I’ve always liked improv. I think as long as you know your character and your goal in the scene, improv is easy.”
Especially when you’re working with masters like Vince Vaughn or Jon Favreau. Once they start going at it, you just want to sit back and enjoy the show.
“I am the worst giggler. You don’t want to ruin somebody else’s take, but when you’re working with this group of people it is not easy to keep a straight face,” says Akerman. “I’ll felt so bad because I just couldn’t do it.”
From Metro News