Could relate to my character in 'Billions': Malin Akerman By Bedika

New Delhi: Hollywood star Malin Akerman is having a blast playing the savvy Lara Axelrod in "Billions", a character for which she drew a lot from her own life. Akerman, who starred in Hollywood rom-coms like "27 Dresses", "Couples Retreat" and "Wanderlust", says it is rare to find strong female characters and that's what attracted her to Lara, an ambitious wife of a corrupt hedge fund king. "Lara is such a powerful woman and what I really love about her is that she is an equal to her husband. There is a mutual respect that they have for each other.

It takes a strong woman to be appreciated and respected by her man," Akerman told PTI in a telephonic interview from Los Angeles. "Her position on the show is of a nurturer. Lara represents family values. I drew a lot from my own life of humble beginnings and then coming to Hollywood. She also comes from a normal working class family. She is street smart and tough because of where she comes from." The Showtime series, starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis, revolves around the power politics in the world of New York high finance as US Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) and ruthless hedge fund manager Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Lewis) lock horns. Akerman says the second season of the show, which premieres in India from February 25 on AXN, will focus more on the personal equation of Lara and Bobby.

"In the first season, we saw Lara and Bobby as this strong, impenetrable couple. But in the second season, we get to dive a little more into their relationship and the humanity of it. They will face obstacles and that will humanise them a bit. I think we will get to see more sides of Lara and Bobby." The actress, whose other TV roles include "Trophy Wife", "Burning Love" and "Children's Hospital", says while films have a defined chart for a character, small screen gives one more time to develop the role. "In the films, the script has a beginning, a middle and end. You have a clear chart of the character. However, in TV you have only done the pilot so you don't know how the character is going to be. So, you really focus on making a backstory for your character to fall back on and try and understand the intention of your character."

The actress says she enjoys doing character-driven projects that are "versions of real-life stories". "My favourite team of directors would be Coen brothers. I would love to be a part of their movies. I like playing versions of real-life stories. But a dream role would be a period drama, something 19th century and romantic." Akerman says India is one of the dream destinations for her and she would love to visit the country. "I have seen Bollywood films. They are so colourful, full of life and music. India is a dream destination. It is top on my list of places to visit."