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.”

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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

According to Moviefone, “HappyThankYouMorePlease” has landed a distribution deal at the Sundance Film Festival! That means that we will be able to see the film – hopefully sooner rather than later!

Congratulations to everyone involved with the film!

I have added another 30+ photos of Malin from three new events that she attended during the Sundance Film Festival! Malin is looking really pretty – so make sure you check them out below!

happythankyoumoreplease falls under the very small niche of traditional Sundance romantic comedies, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing … if the movie is good. A small indie movie with great performances, the film was helmed by Josh Radnor, best known for his role as Ted Mosby on the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. This is Radnor’s first feature film as writer and director, and it’s playing in Park City this week.

One reason this film charms is because of the excellent performances he got out of his leading actresses Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, and Zoe Kazan. We sat down with these lovely ladies to talk about the film, and to find out more about their characters.

Skiers have a term for the luxuriously smooth, dry snow that was falling on Park City, Utah, all weekend: “Champagne powder.” But the real fizzy swirl right now is the 26th annual Sundance Film Festival. Celebrating independent filmmaking is the festival’s raison d’être, so naturally there’s a ton of star-packed parties to slalom through.

The one Diesel and Absolut sponsored for James Franco and his film Howl got things going Thursday night, but corks (or, just as often, beer caps) didn’t really start to pop until Friday. That was when Philippe Chow whipped up a post-premiere dinner at the Bing Supper Club for actor/director Josh Radnor and the cast of his endearing ensemble dramedy HappyThankYouMorePlease. “I love it already, from day one,” gushed Malin Akerman. It was the Swedish-born Canadian actress’ first Sundance, and Park City reminded her of the ski hamlets she romped around in as a kid. “Everyone kind of lets their guard down because it’s cold and you’re all bundled up and cozy.” Nor does the talent necessarily waste precious time showering, she added. “Who cares? You can’t smell anything!”

Later that night, Akerman presented a “Fresh Faces” award to cast mate Zoe Kazan at a Gen Art party honoring a cadre of promising young actors. Kate Mara (who lights up HappyThankYouMorePlease as a Southern-born cabaret singer in New York) insisted that in the two years since she’d been named one, her face hadn’t changed. “I like to think it’s still fresh!”

From Style.com

When actress Malin Akerman headed to Sundance Thursday to promote three films at the festival: Happythankyoumoreplease, Bang Bang Club, and The Romantics, she hung around the airport in Los Angeles looking like just another passenger awaiting her plane. But when she landed in Salt Lake City, it was an entirely different situation. Watchmen fans surrounded their Silk Spectre with freshly printed glossy photos, searching for a signature. The attention seemed a bit out of place, and rather extreme, for this airport that is usually filled with ski buffs ready to attack Utah’s snowy peaks. But one week out of the year, Utah becomes a star-studded locale, and the fans are ready. “I always wonder how they know where I am,” says Akerman. “There must be some insider at the airport who calls all the Watchmen fans, because they are always the ones that show up.” And how does Akerman handle the adoration? “You’ve got to give them a ‘one more and I’ll see you at the festival.’ But they can be pretty adamant. One of these days I’m going to have to interview them to figure out how they find me.”

Akerman’s first film Happythankyoumoreplease debuted to a standing ovation. The directorial debut from How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor has received some solid reviews and is likely to sell by the end of the festival.

From Entertainment Weekly