Malin Akerman talks 'Rock of Ages'

A lot of actresses have gotten to work with Tom Cruise, and many of them have had intimate scenes with him. But no female co-star has ever had Cruise singing into her derrière. Until Malin Akerman.

The 34-year-old actress stars in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit "Rock of Ages," where she plays a Rolling Stone reporter trying to interview aging rocker Stacee Jaxx (Cruise). The duo ends up in a racy scene, singing Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is."

amNewYork spoke with Akerman about the movie.

How familiar were you with the show? I actually saw the show twice before I even knew the film was being made or that I was going to be a part of it. I'm a really big rock fan and I love this music and the combination of rock and comedy was just totally up my alley, so I was quite familiar with it.

How did you prepare for your big song? I asked my husband to sing into my butt. I'm joking. We had a vocal coach, which was great. I had a band in 2002, but I never had professional training before. It was great to be able to understand how to sing a note properly.

How did you feel about doing such a racy song and dance number? It felt great! I'm a big fan of physical comedy - if you've seen any of my body of work, you can probably tell. For me, it makes me laugh. I thought it was a nice mix of sexy and funny and silly and just based in reality in being tortured: Oh, why am I falling for this rock star and I'm not supposed to be doing this?

How was working with Tom? It was great. I'm sure that's the answer everyone expects, but it's so true. I think he's a brilliant actor. He's so collaborative, he's so eager to work, to learn, to get direction. He's the first one to compliment and he's so present, which is so important - being present in the moment and reacting. He just made me look like a good actor. He was amazing to work with.

What's your opinion of "I Want To Know What Love Is"? It's epic. It's a song I've heard a million times over, and so when I heard that was the song we were going to be singing, I was soooooo excited. t's kind of heartbreaking and heart wrenching. To me, it's an epic rock anthem.

Did you like wearing the big wig? I loved it. Are you kidding me? When I was a kid in the '80s I begged my mom to let me perm my hair, which, because she's a good mother, she didn't let me do. So I'm very happy now that she didn't let me do it, but I get to live it. We would call it the Sharon Stone hair from "Total Recall." It looks so much like it! But wow, was it ever cool, and it really just changes your whole look. It was perfect for this.