Netflix’s adaptation of May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives hinges on the onscreen sexual chemistry between Malin Åkerman and Brittany Snow’s characters, which couldn’t have been easier for them to bring to life.
“We were really aware of that and we really thought we have to bring the audience in. We have to make this believable. Luckily, I adore Brittany as a person and as a human being,” Åkerman, 47, teased during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “We have had a lot of laughs around this crazy ride and what we have to bring to the table and how to portray these characters.”
Åkerman’s friendship with Snow, 39, helped develop the relationship between their respective characters, Margo Banks and Sophie O’Neil.
“This was really easy — at least for the first few episodes — where what you’re seeing on screen might just be the excitement of a new friendship that’s budding in real life that’s coming through on camera,” she continued. “Also that helps with any intimate scenes because we started building this trust together as women and as friends. We just made it fun and realized that we’re making a TV show. It’s nothing more than that. We’re having a good time and let’s make it that way because that’s what hopefully goes out into the world.”
The Hunting Wives, which premieres on Monday, July 21, follows Sophie (Snow) who “moves to a deep East Texas town with her family and becomes drawn” to a prominent socialite a.k.a Åkerman’s Margo.
“That was the role that I was offered. What that says about me, I don’t know. I’d read all eight episodes and loved it and I was the first person to get cast on this show. They just said, ‘We can’t see anyone else but you in this role.’ But they were so gracious and so wonderful and it definitely is a dynamic role,” Åkerman teased. “It has many layers and it is all the juicy stuff that you want in a role.”
She continued: “I was privy to all eight episodes, which is really helpful. Because a lot of times when you are on the journey of getting a TV show made you usually just get the pilot episode. That doesn’t give you the character arc and it doesn’t give you the real detail into who this person is that you’re going to be playing.”
Åkerman noted that Margo’s journey will be “really vast and wide and wild,” adding, “I really wanted to play her because she’s so different from how I operate in my own life. I love diverting the code. I love when you see actors in a very different role than you’re used to them in. For me, that’s really wonderful to watch.”
While previewing the show, Åkerman hinted what is to come between Margo and Sophie.
“If I were to peg Margo, I think she’s a master manipulator. There’s an agenda behind everything she does. So for me, as Sophie comes into her world, it’s like Margo’s shiny new toy,” she teased. “It is someone to conquer and to have control over her.”
Åkerman noted that Margo is also “attracted” to Sophie.
“Margo is just surprised by her own feelings. Sophie sees this woman who’s so opposite of her and so free and so wild and alive,” she added. “It’s what Sophie aspires to be and wants to be around it and wants to become more like that. They have very different approaches to the relationship that they’re building and it ends up going in many different directions that we couldn’t ever imagine. It’s a complicated relationship — but a really fun one to watch unfold.”
The Hunting Wives premieres July 21, 2025 on Netflix.
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