SINAGPORE — You think you don’t know who Cobie Smulders is but you do.

She first won over Ted, Barney and the rest of us as spunky Robin Scherbatsky on TV’s How I Met Your Mother. Then she went on to play S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill in a little film called Marvel’s The Avengers.

Later this year, she’ll be reprising that same role for Captain America Winter Soldier and The Avengers 2. But before all that, she’s cosying up to Vince Vaughn in Delivery Man.

The story of an overly fertile sperm donor who ends up fathering 533 children, it’s Canadian director Ken Scott’s Stateside remake of his 2011 film Starbuck — and we’re guessing fellow Canuck Smulders played a big part in why.

Q: How did you get the part?

A: A lot of cash bribes! No, the old-fashioned way. I met our director Ken Scott and executive producer Scott Mednick at DreamWorks. We just sort of had a meeting and just chatted. And then I came in and read. I did something to convince them to give me the part. I don’t know what I did. I just said words out loud and tried to say them well. And it happened, but it was very old-fashioned.

Q: Delivery Man is Ken Scott’s remake of his movie Starbuck. Did you watch it in preparation?

A: I saw it just because one of my agents thought that I should see it. She just really liked it and she wanted me to get interested in it. And I did! It’s actually quite hard doing this film because they did it so right the first time. So for us going into it, I think we approached it like it was a play. It’s another great production, but just with different cast. And I would love to meet the original cast because I think they did such a wonderful job. I was so moved by the story and I was crying so much at the end. And I just thought that Ken did such a great job that it made me want to try to do it again, try to make it as good as they did.

Q: What was it like on set? Was there any improvisation?

A: There hasn’t been a lot of improv. And Vince is so good at improvising. So I came into this project going, “Oh, crap. I have got to up my improvising skills,” because on my shows, it’s pretty much scripted. I was interested and intrigued and excited to do that. But because Ken’s done this movie before, he knows what he wants. He knows his shots. He wrote it as well. And the script is so good that there’s not a lot of room for that. We’re very by the book, which I’m surprised by.

Q: Vince Vaughn seems like the perfect choice to play a sperm donor and biological father of 533 children ...

A: Vince is very charismatic. And he is extremely charming. And you know what I like about Vince? I love Vince’s laugh. Vince’s laugh is contagious. He’s obviously very funny, but he’s so great at these sweet moments that are required. And I think he’s always somebody that you’d root for. Everything I’ve seen him in, you want him to win. You want him to be the good guy. You’re sort of rallying behind him. But he’s just so funny.

Delivery Man is in cinemas now. Transcript courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Singapore.