Before Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, there was 2009’s Watchmen, Zack Snyder’s first take on brooding, depressed superheroes posing dramatically or fighting with brutal abandon. The movie featured Malin Akerman in the role of Laurie aka Silk Spectre II. The actress was still a newcomer in the profession and revealed in a recent interview with Collider that her inexperience made her feel unworthy of being in the movie.
“Watchmen was a big shift because I felt way out of my league on that one. I really struggled because it was such a big film and I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I had no training and I was working with these fabulous theater actors who had all the training in the world. I definitely didn’t feel worthy of being there. I felt like I had tricked them into casting me.
Malin Akerman faced some criticism for her role in the film, as the daughter of a legendary crime-fighter who struggled to adapt to the new world of superheroes and entered into a relationship with the Godlike Dr. Manhattan. It was a huge opportunity for the actress, but also made her feel acutely conscious of her own shortcomings when compared to her more experienced castmates.
“It was an ebb and flow from day to day. Some days I felt better than others. But yeah, for the most part, because everyone I was working with was just so darn good – I guess I noticed the difference; I realized that I didn’t know how to prepare for a role and they did, and that was really getting to me. It was more, I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t taken more time before going into this, but I realized the reason I didn’t was because I didn’t know the direction I was going in. I wasn’t leading my own way, you know what I mean? So nowadays I’ll take roles and I’ll make sure that it’s something that I can develop and work with and that I find interesting, and that I come in prepared.”
Akerman seems to have learned all the right lessons from her time spent making the movie, despite Watchmen not becoming the success its makers had hoped it would be. The actress ultimately expressed happiness over the time she spent on the project, and how it helped her grow as an artist.
“I think that it’s important to remember that this type of work is creative and creativity is a constant growth. There is no end, and that was just part of the journey. It’s a catalyst; everything becomes sort of a catalyst for something else. I look back on it now, I loved the experience as far as the people I got to work with and to have been a part of that beautiful production and I’m thankful that it woke me up a little bit to the importance of preparation, and just so that I can grow from that experience. I think any growth, then it’s been worth it.
Having made peace with her past work and insecurities, Akerman is back in front of the camera with her latest movie To the Stars, a small-budget, intimate look at female relationships, available now on digital. But she hasn’t shut the door on making a return to blockbuster projects like Watchmen.
“I would absolutely do something like that again. I’m ready for it this time! [Laughs] I would love to do it actually! It would feel like I’d get a second chance at it.”
This news comes direct from the great folks at Collider.