Early roles (1997–2008) Akerman made her acting debut on the Canadian science fiction series
Earth: Final Conflict in 1997 in a smaller role as a robot. She originally landed a role on an
MTV pilot with
Rachel McAdams but the project was never picked up by the network. In 2000 she guest starred on
Relic Hunter and had a smaller role in the American film
The Skulls. The following year she made appearances on the series
Doc,
Twice in a Lifetime and
Witchblade. In 2001 she moved to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of pursuing a broader acting career. but she eventually left to focus on her acting career. She described her singing as "sort of a self-made, self-taught, if-you-can't-hit-the-note-scream-it kind of thing". Akerman's appearance on the show garnered media attention and resulted in her being offered more roles. The film was a
box office bomb and received largely critical reviews. The same year, she also appeared in the films
The Invasion, for which she was uncredited, and
Heavy Petting. Akerman signed up for a role alongside
Ben Stiller in the comedy film
The Heartbreak Kid, directed by the
Farrelly Brothers, in 2006. The film follows the couple's honeymoon in Mexico, where Stiller's character falls in love with another woman and realizes that the marriage was a mistake. Akerman's performance garnered more positive reviews; Desson Thomson of
The Washington Post called her a "fabulous comic partner" to Stiller, while Roger Moore of
Times Herald-Record asserted that she had outperformed him. The film grossed US$14 million in its opening weekend in the United States, and went on to gross US$127 million globally. In 2007, Akerman joined the cast of
27 Dresses, a romantic comedy film directed by
Anne Fletcher with
Katherine Heigl in the lead role. The film follows Heigl's character Jane, who has always been the bridesmaid and dreams of her own wedding. Akerman played Jane's sister Tess. The film was shot during the summer of 2007, and was released in January 2008 to weak critical reception as it was considered "clichéd and mostly forgettable". The film was more successful commercially, with a gross of US$160 million. Akerman played the title role in
Bye Bye Sally, a short film directed by
Paul Leyden and based on Lisa Mannetti's short story
Everybody Wins.
Breakthrough with Watchmen (2009–2011) '', April 2011 In 2009, Akerman starred as
Silk Spectre II in the
superhero film Watchmen, an adaptation of
Alan Moore's graphic novel
of the same name. Directed by
Zack Snyder, the feature film is set in an alternate reality in 1985 where a group of retired vigilantes investigate an apparent conspiracy against them. Akerman rehearsed with "months of hardcore training" and went on a very strict diet. Premiering in February 2009, the film received generally favourable reviews,grossing US$185 million worldwide. Although Akerman was nominated for a
Saturn Award for
Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film, critics were generally negative towards her acting. She also received nominations for a
Teen Choice Award and two
Scream Awards. Akerman appeared in the 2009 romantic comedy film
The Proposal, starring
Sandra Bullock and
Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles. Akerman played a supporting role as Gertrude, the ex-girlfriend of Reynolds' character. Although the film received mixed reviews, it went on to gross US$317 million worldwide. Also in 2009, Akerman starred in the comedy film
Couples Retreat, opposite
Jon Favreau and
Vince Vaughn. The film follows four couples as they travel to a tropical island resort for couples therapy. Reception for the film was mainly negative, although Akerman's performance was met with more positive reactions. In 2010, Akerman co-starred as Annie in the
Josh Radnor-directed comedy-drama film
Happythankyoumoreplease She was originally offered a different part, but felt that she wanted to play Annie as it was different from her previous roles. Reviews from critics were polarized, but Akerman received praise. Later in 2010, she guest starred on the
How I Met Your Mother episode "
The Wedding Bride", and joined the cast of the
Adult Swim comedy series
Childrens Hospital. Playing the part of the promiscuous Dr. Valerie Flame, Akerman joined during the series' second season along with
Henry Winkler. The series was originally a
web series and Akerman accepted the role after viewing several
webisodes. "It was totally up my alley, my kind of humor", she said of the series. The film premiered in September 2010 on limited release to generally negative reviews. In 2010, she starred in
Sebastian Gutierrez's comedy film
Elektra Luxx opposite
Carla Gugino and
Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is a sequel to 2009's
Women in Trouble. Akerman played Trixie, an awkward drug store clerk who falls for Gordon-Levitt's character, who in turn is obsessed with Gugino's character, a retired porn star. Akerman was offered the role during a screening of
Women in Trouble. Next, Akerman starred in the lead female role in the film
The Bang Bang Club, which follows a group of young photojournalists in South Africa during the final stages of the
apartheid. She played Robin Comley, a newspaper photo editor. The film premiered during the
2010 Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews from the press. In 2010, Akerman signed up for a part in newcomer Aaron Harvey's
Catch .44, a drama-thriller film with
Forest Whitaker and
Bruce Willis in the male lead roles. The film was generally ignored by critics and movie goers alike.
Further film and television work (2012–2014) Akerman had a supporting role in the 2012 comedy film
Wanderlust, with
Jennifer Aniston and
Paul Rudd. The film focuses on an overworked couple who end up at a commune when they try to slow things down. Akerman played Eva, a woman at the commune. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who were divided regarding its humour, but ultimately praised the cast.
Wanderlust underperformed at the box office, earning just over US$20 million worldwide during its theatrical run. Akerman appeared in the comedy film
The Giant Mechanical Man, which premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival in April 2012 to average reviews. She had a supporting role in the 2012
rock musical film
Rock of Ages, based on the stage production
of the same name. The duet appears on
the soundtrack, which peaked at number five on the
Billboard 200 and sold 320,000 copies in the US. Although the film grossed lower than expected, its opening weekend gross in the United States became the third-highest ever for an adaption of a stage production. Akerman played opposite
Nicolas Cage in the 2012
bank heist action film
Stolen. The film received negative reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. Next, Akerman appeared in the crime film
Hotel Noir (2012), the comedy horror film
Cottage Country (2013), and the action thriller
The Numbers Station (2013), all of which were panned by critics. The film received a limited theatrical release and was met with negative reviews in the press. During this time, she had several guest roles on television, including the series
Newsreaders,
Robot Chicken, and
Welcome to Sweden. From 2012 to 2013, she had a recurring role on
ABC's comedy series
Suburgatory as Alex, the absent mother of the main character Tessa. Akerman was also a contestant on the comedy series
Burning Love (2012), which parodied the reality series
The Bachelor. From 2013 to 2014, Akerman held the lead role on the ABC sitcom
Trophy Wife. She played Kate Harrison, the third wife of
Bradley Whitford's character.
Marcia Gay Harden and
Michaela Watkins co-starred as Whitford's two ex-wives. Akerman also served as a producer. She was initially put off by the title, "I saw the title and I said, 'Hell no, I'm not playing a trophy wife!'" However, she changed her mind after reading the script; she liked the writing and how the character is not actually a
trophy wife. Executive producer
Lee Eisenberg said the title was "always meant to be ironic". Akerman received critical acclaim for her performance; Gabriel Mizrahi of
The Huffington Post deemed her portrayal "terrific", and Matt Webb Mitovich of
TVLine opined that she "no less than shines here, coming off as fun-loving but not flaky, warm and not overheated". and some criticized its title for confusing audiences by suggesting it is about something that it is not. Willa Paskin of
Slate regarded the title "terrible" and "an insult to its lovely, daffy main character". Criticism was also directed towards ABC for giving the series a poor time slot.
Recent work (2015–present) Akerman was a main cast member on
Yahoo! Screen's short-lived comedy series
Sin City Saints (2015), which ran for an eight-episode season. She portrayed Dusty Halford, the lawyer of the eponymous basketball team. Akerman co-starred in
Brett Haley's comedy-drama film ''
I'll See You in My Dreams (2015) with Blythe Danner. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. Also in 2015, she starred in the comedy slasher film The Final Girls with Taissa Farmiga. The film follows a group of high school students who are transported into a slasher film. The film received generally favourable reviews from critics, who noted its "surprising layer of genuine emotion" amidst "the meta amusement". Akerman was nominated for a Fangoria'' Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Akerman acted in two feature films in 2016,
Misconduct and
The Ticket, both of which received limited release. Critical reception of
Misconduct was generally negative, while
The Ticket attracted mixed reviews. The same year, Akerman starred alongside
Orlando Bloom and
Kate Micucci on an episode of the
Netflix comedy-drama series
Easy, an
anthology series with stand-alone episodes of different characters exploring relationships. From 2016 to 2019, Akerman was a main cast member on the
Showtime drama series
Billions, playing the role of Lara Axelrod, the wife of billionaire hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod, portrayed by
Damian Lewis. Akerman enjoyed playing the character due to her "no-nonsense" attitude. She stepped into a recurring role for the third season to accommodate for roles in other projects, which was written into the storyline with her character becoming Bobby's ex-wife. Akerman was cast in
Brad Peyton's science fiction monster film
Rampage (2018), based on the video game series
of the same name, as Claire Wyden, the CEO of a company responsible for the infection and mutation of several animals. She liked playing a villain for the first time as it was a "good challenge". She said, "I don't think she had any redeeming qualities, but I don't think characters have to have redeeming qualities. It's quite fun to just enjoy being evil". The film became a commercial success with a worldwide revenue of US$428 million, ending up as the twenty-first highest-grossing film of 2018. Critical reception was mixed, with some critics deeming it a "brainless blockbuster". In 2019, Akerman made a guest appearance on the
Comedy Central educational comedy series
Drunk History where she played accused murderer
Beulah Annan. Akerman played the role of Grace Richmond, the mother of
Liana Liberato's character, in
Martha Stephens' coming-of-age drama
To the Stars (2019). The film premiered at the
2019 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews from critics. Akerman signed on for an
NBC drama pilot titled
Prism in February 2019. The pilot, directed by
Daniel Barnz, details a murder trial told through different perspectives of each key person involved, with Akerman as public defender Rachel Lewis. Akerman played her first Swedish-speaking film role in the
jukebox musical film
A Piece of My Heart, directed by
Edward af Sillén and based on music by Swedish singer
Tomas Ledin. The film received a Christmas 2019 release in Sweden. She also starred in
The Sleepover, directed by
Trish Sie for
Netflix. Akerman was cast in the comedy film
Friendsgiving, directed by
Nicol Paone in her directorial debut. Akerman is also a producer on the project. She appeared in an episode of the
AMC anthology series
Soulmates, which premiered on 5 October 2020. She starred in the comedy film
Chick Fight (2020) about an all-female underground fight club. hosts' press conference In 2020, Akerman played the lead role of Ally in the
CBS comedy pilot
The Three of Us which was created by Frank Pines. In 2022, she starred in
A Week in Paradise,
The Aviary, and
Slayers. In 2023, Akerman competed in
season nine of
The Masked Singer as "Squirrel". While having bested
Michael Bolton as "Wolf" and
Keenan Allen as "Gargoyle" (who was spared by
Jenny McCarthy ringing the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell) on "DC Superheroes Night", she was eliminated on "
Sesame Street Night" alongside
Lele Pons as "Jackalope". Also in 2023, Akerman starred in
The Donor Party,
Us or Them. and
The Christmas Classic, all of which received limited release. She played her second Swedish-speaking film role in
Ett sista race, released in Swedish cinemas in December 2023. On 5 February 2024, it was announced that Akerman, alongside
Petra Mede, would host the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden. Akerman currently stars in
The Hunting Wives alongside
Brittany Snow for
Netflix, based upon the novel of the same name by May Cobb. ==Personal life==