Malin Akerman Thinks She 'Looks Like A Boy'

By Nicki Gostin Posted Mar 4th 2011 02:25PM

The gorgeous Malin Akerman looks very different in her new movie, 'Happythankyoumoreplease.' Her character Annie has no hair, and it's positively shocking to see the gorgeous Swedish-born actress with a schmatta on her head.

"I actually think she's way more beautiful than any of the other girls I've played," Akerman tells PopEater. "When you look in the mirror you see somebody very different from whatever everybody else sees, and that is the same for me."

A gifted comedian -- think of her turns as the bride from hell in 'The Heartbreak Kid' and Freakshow's wife in 'Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle' -- Akerman is terrific in 'Happythankyoumoreplease,' a lovely little movie about six friends in New York whose lives are turned upside down when one of them finds himself the guardian of a child separated from his mom on the subway.

The actress talked to PopEater about her drummer hubby and his penchant for playing with chopsticks, her native Sweden and the perils of shaving her eyebrows for her role.

Tell me about this character, Annie.
I'm in love with this character. I actually miss her a lot. She was actually an amazing character to play. She's obviously a very sensitive soul, wears her heart on her sleeve. She has alopecia, which is a condition where you lose all your hair. It creates a different kind of persona in a person. Growing up without hair, it must shape you as a person, and that was something really interesting to play with and figure out what her sensitive spots are because of that, what obstacles that presents. It was such a great, beautiful character.

Did you take it because your looks are downplayed?
Yeah, absolutely. I definitely identify way more with her than with any of the other characters I've played.

Come on! You feel ugly?
Guess what? If I walk into a bar with no makeup on and my hair slicked back, I look like a boy. I'm just saying that's how I feel what I look like. It was really cool because Annie got to shine through as a person instead of having the audience have to get through the layers of the exterior and then see who she is. It's like, here she is, and that was kind of amazing to not have to worry about that. To go, this is me, this is what I look like and guess what, I'm beautiful.

Wait a sec, so if you walk into a bar with no makeup and hair pulled back, I might call you Mike?
(Laughs) My husband thinks I'm crazy for saying this, but that's how I feel some days. I'm a little bit goofy. I don't feel like I'm the most feminine girl in the world. I can have a bit of a potty mouth, and sometimes when I wake up I'm like, "Oh, hello Mike, how are you doing today?" It's just a feeling. Some days I feel more feminine than others. Some days we feel more beautiful than others.

Your husband is a drummer. Does his practicing give you a headache?
We got him a soundproof booth inside the garage, so it's pretty good. I don't have to listen to the tapping -- although he does like to take chopsticks when we're at a Chinese restaurant and plays them on the table. It's like a child; you have to grab his hand and put it down. It gets annoying at times, but at least he's got a good rhythm.

You're Swedish. I'm dying to go there.
You should! I'm not just saying it because I'm from there, but it's so beautiful. Stockholm has all these old, pastel-colored buildings and canals running through it. Swedish summers are the best. Swedish winters are maybe not the best. It's very dark and cold.

If a family has a baby with dark hair do they get deported?
(Laughs) No. I think the ratio is probably 50 percent blonde, and the rest are a mix of different colors and races. It's not as blonde as it used to be. Our borders are open and people like to venture outside and maybe grab themselves a nice Italian husband.

What's your favorite Swedish holiday?
Midsummer, the longest day of the year, and we do a big celebration.

Did you know Will Ferrell's wife is Swedish?
I do. Yeah, he's a lucky man. He bought into it.

Did everyone hate you after '27 Dresses'?
It's funny, a lot of people came up to me afterward and were like, "Oh my God, I hated you in that movie," because I was a bit of an annoying b***h. A lot of people compare you to the characters you play, and you have to convince them that it's really not you, you're just playing a character.

Did you shave your eyebrows for the part of Annie in 'Happythankyoumoreplease'?
I did.

Weren't you scared they wouldn't grow back?
I actually didn't know that they might not grow back until after I did it. Look, if they hadn't grown back I just would have drawn them in. I usually do that anyway because I'm blonde. It's not the worst thing that can happen in life.

Did you wear a latex wig?
We had a bald cap, but most of the film I had beautiful head scarves and wraps, so we just tucked hair up there with pins.

If you were a method actor you probably would have shaved your head.
Oh, look at you! Yeah, I guess I'm not a proper method actor, only went half way.

You took the easy way out!
Although we know my hair would grow back, so I think I was actually more courageous by doing my eyebrows because they might not have grown back.

Ha! The old switcheroo.
That's right!

Tags: malin akerman