Malin Akerman Says Comparisons Between Her ‘The Hunting Wives’ Character’s Appearance and Melania Trump “Hit The Nail on the Head”

The Hunting Wives star Malin Akerman sees your social media posts, and she’s VERY aware of the comparisons between her character and First Lady Melania Trump. That’s not an accident.

Ahead of the July 21 release on Netflix, DECIDER sat down with Akerman and fellow cast member Brittany Snow, who opened up about entering the sandbox of adapting May Cobb’s bestselling novel. In the series, Sophie (Snow) — a Cambridge, Massachusetts liberal — relocates to Texas with her husband and son for a fresh start after a traumatic incident upends their lives. There, she becomes captivated by the world of rich, gun-toting conservative wives, led by Margo Banks (Akerman), the wealthiest and most hypnotizing of the group.

While each member of the group that Sophie stumbles into has their own appeals — the circle also includes the first lady of the town’s church (Katie Lowes) and the sheriff’s wife (Jaime Ray Newman) — it’s Akerman’s character whose magnetic nature draws Sophie out of her own comfort zone. That’s why it was critical for them to craft Margo’s look down to the fine details, including who she might draw comparisons to.

“A whole team went into that,” the actress said of Margo’s appearance. “From Rebecca Cutter, our show creator, to hair and makeup, to wardrobe, it really is a team effort and, of course, taking from the book what we can and what we want to take. But I think you really hit the nail on the head with sort of like a Melania Trump and I think that works well for this.”

According to the actress, Margo’s hair-coloring and makeup choices work as a contrast to Sophie’s innocence and novelty to the world she finds herself in. While Snow holds onto her signature blonde locks for the role, Akerman went darker and longer with more intense eye makeup and a set-in tan.

Furthermore, in The Hunting Wives, Margo’s husband, Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), is considering a run to become the governor of Texas, which plays a major role in how their characters are received and move through the show. For that reason, it’s clear that political figures — especially ones with conservative views and a flair for the dramatic — play a part in determining how they appear on camera.

Akerman said, “It sort of feels like a presidential couple in this town and there were discussions about hair color and whatnot. And I think ultimately it was the right decision to keep Brittany blonde and have her be sort of this angelic human who comes into the world of Margo Banks, who is a little bit darker and then a little of the red behind it that feels fiery and feisty.”

The Hunting Wives Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.