Watchmen's Silk Spectre Actress Admits She Struggled With Snyder's Film
Malin Akerman, the actress who played Laurie Jupiter/ Silk Spectre in Zack Snyder's 2009 Watchmen film, admitted in a recent interview she struggled with her work on the film because she didn't feel worthy. Up to that point, Akerman had been known almost exclusively for her work in comedies, such as 27 Dresses and The Heartbreak Kid. Watchmen represented her first substantial role in a drama, and she was acting alongside several other highly decorated and acclaimed actors, particularly Patrick Wilson (who played Nite Owl) and Billy Crudup (who played Dr. Manhattan).
The 2009 adaptation of Watchmen is a slightly controversial film, partially because of how painstakingly faithful it was to the source material. Some believe that faithfulness makes it rank among the best comic book movies, while others believe the powerful themes and meaning of the original comic book series were lost in the moment-for-moment adaptation style the film employed. Reviews of the film were mixed; it received a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 56 from MetaCritic, both indicating a significant lack of consensus.
Speaking with Collider on an episode of their Collider Ladies Night show, Akerman talked about her struggles working on the film, and why sharing scenes with "fabulous theater actors" was such an intimidating prospect. "I definitely didn't feel worthy of being there," she said. "I felt like I had tricked them into casting me." Akerman also shared she "really struggled because it was such a big film and I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing."
Akerman has gone on to plenty of success in other major dramatic roles, including an acclaimed turn in Showtime's critically lauded series Billions, which she starred in for the first three seasons. Snyder, meanwhile, has remained a somewhat controversial filmmaker, particularly with his work in the DC Extended Universe of films, such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. The latter of which has even inspired a faction of the internet that has spent years clamoring to see Snyder's original version of the film.
Watchmen also remains a popular property, with Lost's Damon Lindelof creating a critically adored reimagining of it for HBO last year. Akerman's character, Laurie Jupiter, was one of only three characters from the Watchmen film and original comic book series to also appear in the HBO series, which imagined the characters and concepts of the source material moved into the present day. Jean Smart (of Fargo and 24 fame) played Laurie in the HBO series. Despite the amount of time since the Watchmen movie came out, it's interesting to hear Akerman's perspective on her time as Silk Spectre.
Source: Collider