First lady Melania Trump has inspired Netflix’s new show The Hunting Wives, one of the shows top actors Malin Akerman said.
Why It Matters
Melania Trump—who is married to President Donald Trump—has long been the target of public scrutiny. Over the years, the 55-year-old has faced criticism for her speeches, the White House rose garden renovation, her thoughts on Christmas decorations and more.
The couple has been married since 2005, welcoming their son Barron Trump in 2006.
Earlier this year, the White House hit back after rumors of a possible split were made by biographer Michael Wolff, who said on The Daily Beast Podcast in May that the Trumps “are separated.”
In response, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told The Independent that Wolff was “a blithering idiot” who had been “widely discredited due to his blatant lies and fabrications.”
“He is an imbecile of the highest order,” Cheung said.
The Hunting Wives quickly surged to one of the top watched shows on Netflix after its release on July 21. It is based on the 2021 novel of the same name written by May Cobb.
Newsweek reached out to a Netflix spokesperson and Melania Trump’s representative via email for comment on Tuesday.
What To Know
The plot follows Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow) as she moves from Boston to a small Texas town with her husband Graham (Evan Jonigkeit). She soon finds herself out of her comfort zone in an affluent circle of housewives who call themselves the “Hunting Wives.”
In an interview with Vulture, which was published last week, Akerman—who stars as socialite Margo Banks in the drama—said that the show’s creative team described her character as like Melania Trump: “Someone who ‘came into a marriage to this rich man as one woman, then finds the expectations for her have shifted once he becomes politically ambitious.’ “
“That was the only reference, really. Other than that, it’s just high-society,” Akerman told the outlet. “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.”
The Proposal actress added that the series will keep viewers entertained. “This show moves pretty quick. It’s not a slow pace or, like, I hope they kiss by episode whatever,” she said. “We’re diving right in there.”
According to data analytics site Luminate, The Hunting Wives was the most streamed series in the United States across major platforms last week, The New York Times reported.
What People Are Saying
Critics’ reviews of The Hunting Wives have been mixed.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the shows has a Tomatometer score of 77 percent and a Popcornmeter score of 68 percent. According to its website, the Tomatometer score is “based on the collective opinions of hundreds of film and television critics,” while the Popcornmeter score “captures audience sentiment.”
Rolling Stone said: “The Hunting Wives isn’t even close to being a successful political satire. But luckily for the series, which already has fans clamoring for a second season, there’s no need for it to be. The binge-drop melee of sex, drugs, murder, and sex is the perfect formula to keep viewers locked to their couches for however long it takes for the clothes to come off.”
The New York Times said: “The Hunting Wives sets up a kind of red state-blue state conflict, but the plot is largely the stuff of soapy fantasy. There’s nothing new in the idea that beneath all the Bible-thumping and purity rhetoric, there might be a whole lot of dirty stuff going on in rural America. Still, Akerman’s performance makes the case that hypocrisy can be liberating. Like Snow’s wide-eyed Sophie, you’ll have trouble resisting her charms.”
Variety said: “Twist after twist keeps the story constantly in motion, at the expense of both texture and basic coherence, until the season ends on an oddly open note —less hanging over a cliff than trailing off into the ether.”
Time magazine said: “The Hunting Wives is too much, in ways both delectable and exhausting. Executive producer and showrunner Rebecca Cutter risks running out of steam in the back half of the season, let alone in a second. But for now, at least, its sheer exuberance keeps all the try-hard naughtiness from feeling excessively self-satisfied.”
What Happens Next
The Hunting Wives is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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