- - “The Hunting Wives”' Malin Akerman Reveals That Melania Trump Inspired Her Controversial Character

Brianne TracyAugust 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM

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Malin Akerman's Margo in 'The Hunting Wives'; Melania Trump

Malin Akerman said in a recent interview that the creative team behind The Hunting Wives referenced first lady Melania Trump when describing her character, Margo Banks, to her

In The Hunting Wives, Margo is a scheming socialite whose husband decides to run for Texas governor

"At first you just think she's this trophy wife, and she's living the life," Akerman recently told PEOPLE of her controversial character. "But then, there are some scenes that get pretty complex where we see who is boss"

Warning: This story contains spoilers for Netflix's The Hunting Wives.

Malin Akerman's much-buzzed-about The Hunting Wives character, Margo Banks, drew some inspiration from a real-life figure.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Akerman, 47, said that the Netflix series' creative team referenced first lady Melania Trump while explaining the character Margo — a socialite with dark secrets whose husband, Jed (Dermot Mulroney), is running for Texas governor.

Akerman recalled the team saying that Margo is like Melania — the wife of former reality TV star turned two-time President Donald Trump — in that she "came into a marriage to this rich man as one woman,” then found new expectations placed on her once her husband became a political hopeful.

“That was the only reference, really,” Akerman said. “Other than that, it’s just high society. I’ve mingled with aristocrats and high-society people and seen the games that go into it. For lack of a better word, I wouldn’t say ‘authenticity’ is how those people lead."

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Malin Akerman and Dermot Mulroney as Margo and Jed Banks in 'The Hunting Wives'

Throughout the wild first season of The Hunting Wives, it's revealed that Akerman's Margo — the queen bee of a group of gun-toting friends that call themselves the Hunting Wives — had an abortion after getting pregnant during her affair with high school student Brad (George Ferrier).

After Brad's teenage girlfriend Abby (Madison Wolfe) threatened to reveal her secret about the affair and the abortion, Margo shot her and then framed her friend-turned-lover Sophie (Brittany Snow) for her death.

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Katie Lowes, Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman in 'The Hunting Wives'

Over the course of the series, viewers learn about Margo's humble beginnings and that she first met Jed while partaking in a threesome with his first wife, whom he eventually left for Margo. In their marriage, Margo and Jed have agreed to an open relationship of sorts, where they both can sleep with other women, but Margo can't sleep with other men. (Her affair with Brad, of course, goes against the agreement.)

Akerman recently spoke with PEOPLE about Margo's rollercoaster journey.

"At first you just think she's this trophy wife, and she's living the life," Akerman said. "But then, there are some scenes that get pretty complex where we see who is boss. She needs to make sure that she doesn't step on [Jed's] toes because if she's out, then she's got nothing. It's life or death for her, this relationship with Jed."

Akerman said a turning point for Margo was the moment she tried to give Jed advice on his political career, and he told her he "doesn't want to listen to her feminist ideals."

"You see her kind of shift and go, 'All right, I've overstepped my boundaries,' " Akerman said. "As long as she's playful and sexy, though, she can stay. So, she's become a master manipulator, and that was really fun to play with Dermot. He's just such a great acting partner. We had a really good time."

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Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman in 'The Hunting Wives'

When Akerman first got The Hunting Wives script, she said she "fell in love" with Margo "at first glance."

"I got to see her whole arc and see where she begins and where she came from and where she ends up, and it's just such a meaty role," she said. "She's a master manipulator, she's vibrant, she's sexy...she's all these things that are fun to play. There was just so much to work with there. There was no way I could say no to it."

The Hunting Wives is streaming now on Netflix.

on People

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