'Kiwi men great, girls cool' - Faris

Hollywood actress Anna Faris says she does not have a bad impression of New Zealand men, and thinks their female counterparts are "amazing".

Faris, who lived here while filming Yogi Bear, hit headlines after she told a US talk show that Kiwi men yelled at her and told her to show them her breasts.

Last week Tourism New Zealand apologised after saying no one would take her comments seriously due to the roles she played - including a "pothead".

Speaking from her Los Angeles home yesterday, Faris said she wrote back saying she had an incredible time during her more than four months here.

Laughing, Faris said she wrote: "It's not like we don't have our share of bozos here, we've got plenty of 'em. We're Americans, we're notorious for obnoxious behaviour."

She believes her original comment gained attention because "it was the one semi-funny story that I told" which "everyone got a kick out of just because I swore".

She said she had no hard feelings towards Kiwis.

"I studied in Italy for a while and it got a lot worse than that except at the time I just didn't understand what they were saying."

She said New Zealand men were "great".

"They were definitely masculine, but they were so lovely to me and welcoming and went out of their way.

"And the women. New Zealand women are just amazing.

"They're not catty, they're like beer-drinking, laidback," said Faris, "just like the kind of girls you want to hang out with every day - really, really cool."

She had been questioned by media organisations in the United States about her comments, but said hadn't heard much more about it because she tries to avoid news involving herself.

"The whole sort of hubbub really kind of caught me off guard and I felt terrible because I met so many wonderful friends there and I would just never want them to think I took anything negative away from my experience there.

"I was upset because I was just thinking about the friends that I had made there and hoping that they weren't thinking I didn't enjoy my experience."

Highlights of her stay included Waiheke Island. She especially loved the Coromandel, where she drove her parents when they came to visit from her childhood home in Seattle, Washington.

"It was truly I think the most stunning place I have ever been in my life.

"I had the most amazing time and being able to experience New Zealand, especially over a period of months, was the highlight of my career."