Rachel McAdams
 |
Rachel McAdams | |
|---|---|
 McAdams at the Toronto Film Festival, September 2007 | |
| Born | Rachel Anne McAdams |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978)[1][2] is a Canadian actress. Her breakout role was for portraying the "Queen Bee" Regina George in the 2004 hit film Mean Girls. She then starred in the film adaptation of The Notebook and the hit comedy Wedding Crashers. Her other film credits include The Family Stone, Red Eye and The Time Traveler's Wife. More recently she starred in Guy Ritchie's 2009 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes as Irene Adler and in 2010's "Morning Glory" as Becky Fuller.
Early life
Rachel McAdams was born in London, Ontario, and grew up in the nearby city of St. Thomas. Her father, Lance, is a truck driver, and her mother, Sandra, is a nurse.[3] She has a younger brother, Daniel, and a younger sister, Kayleen. She took up competitive figure skating at the age of four and acting at age 12[4] at a summer theatre camp in St. Thomas, Ontario named Original Kids. When the company extended to a year-round company (and eventually relocated to London, Ontario), she was invited to continue with them. She attended the Myrtle Street Public School[5] and the publicly-funded secondary school Central Elgin Collegiate Institute in St. Thomas from grade nine to OAC and starred in the Award-winning student production I Live in a Little Town. She graduated from York University in Toronto with Honors and a BFA degree in Theatre in 2001.[6] During her fourth year at York, she played a child in "The Piper" – a workshop led by a creative team from Toronto's Necessary Angel Theatre Company.
Career
McAdams played a leading role in the film The Hot Chick alongside Rob Schneider, but her most noticeable breakthrough role was when she starred as Regina George, the school's popular prom queen, in 2004's Mean Girls. She was much older than the character she played. McAdams had previously appeared in the Canadian television series Slings and Arrows, co-starring Paul Gross. She played a main role in the first season, but due to her rising stardom was written out of the second season, appearing in only the first episode. She followed Mean Girls with the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel The Notebook, with Ryan Gosling, with whom she would later begin an off-screen romance.[7]
In 2005, she played Owen Wilson's love interest in Wedding Crashers and then starred in the suspense thriller Red Eye as Lisa Reisert, where she played a young woman held captive aboard a red-eye flight by criminal-for-hire and assassin Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). McAdams also starred in The Family Stone where she was part of an ensemble cast alongside Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Brian J. White and Claire Danes. She auditioned for the role of Sue Storm in Fantastic Four, but lost the part to Jessica Alba.[8]
McAdams' career slowed down in 2006. She was originally signed on as the female lead in The Last Kiss but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, and the role was given to Jacinda Barrett. She decided to take a year off from acting, to spend time with friends and family. McAdams then agreed to star in the drama Married Life with Pierce Brosnan and Patricia Clarkson. She turned down the role of Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film Casino Royale. She stated in an interview in May 2006 that she did not want to star in a big-budget action film because she wanted to pursue other projects.
McAdams opted out of a cover shoot for Vanity Fair — in which she was to appear alongside two other young Hollywood actresses, Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley — upon finding out it was to be nude. When McAdams appeared on set and discovered it was nude, she politely declined, according to Knightley.[citation needed]
In her interview with PARADE Magazine, McAdams states, "When you're playing a fictional character, it's as normal and mundane as eating breakfast. What bothers me is our culture's obsession with nudity. It shouldn't be a big deal, but it is. I think this overemphasis with nudity makes actors nervous. There's the worry about seeing one's body dissected, misrepresented, played and replayed on the Internet."[9]
McAdams next starred in the political thriller State of Play alongside Academy Award winners Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe and Helen Mirren. Production wrapped in April 2008 and the film was released theatrically April 17, 2009.
In 2009, McAdams starred in Guy Ritchie's film Sherlock Holmes,[10] based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories. McAdams played the role of Irene Adler alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. Filming began in October 2008. Sherlock Holmes was released on Christmas Day 2009.
McAdams also played the title role of Clare Abshire in The Time Traveler's Wife opposite Eric Bana, which was released on August 14, 2009. The film was based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel of the same name.
McAdams co-starred with Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum in Morning Glory, released on 10 November 2010.[11]
McAdams is a keen golfer and attended all four days of the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales.
McAdams is currently involved in 2 projects - filming with Channing Tatum in The Vow, due in 2012, and also starring in Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen's next movie, due in 2011.
McAdams is currently involved in an upcoming Terrence Malick film, due in 2012.
Awards and achievements
McAdams received popular acclaim for roles in both Mean Girls and The Notebook and was honored for her work, including five nominations and three wins at the MTV Movie Awards in 2005. McAdams beat competition including Beyoncé Knowles and Jessica Alba. She won the MTV award for "Best Kiss" along with Ryan Gosling in The Notebook.
McAdams was nominated for a Genie Award for her role in Perfect Pie. She was also nominated for the BAFTA's Orange Rising Star award, which acknowledges the new talents in the acting industry. The award went to James McAvoy.
She hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences's 2006 Scientific and Technical Awards. McAdams received a Civic Award for her contribution to culture from the city of St. Thomas in 2006.
In April 2009, she was awarded the Female Star of The Year by ShoWest.
McAdams won for "Actress Action Adventure" award on the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, for her role on Sherlock Holmes. She was also nominated for the "Actress Sci-Fi" award, for The Time Traveler's Wife, but lost to Zoe Saldana, for her work in Avatar.[12]
Personal life
McAdams dated Ryan Gosling, who she had met during the making of The Notebook from 2004 to February 2007. [13][14] She subsequently dated actor Josh Lucas for four months in 2009.[15] In late 2010, McAdams began dating actor Michael Sheen, her Midnight in Paris co-star.[16]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | My Name is Tanino | Sally Garfield | |
| 2002 | Perfect Pie | Patsy Grady (age 15) | |
| 2002 | The Hot Chick | Jessica Spencer/Clive Maxtone | |
| 2004 | Mean Girls | Regina George | Won—MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Won—MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo |
| 2004 | The Notebook | Allison "Allie" Hamilton | Won—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers | Claire Cleary | |
| 2005 | Red Eye | Lisa Reisert | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress |
| 2005 | The Family Stone | Amy Stone | |
| 2008 | Married Life | Kay Nesbitt | |
| 2008 | The Lucky Ones | Colee Dunn | |
| 2009 | State of Play | Della Frye | |
| 2009 | The Time Traveler's Wife | Clare Abshire | |
| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | Irene Adler | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Becky Fuller | |
| 2011 | Midnight in Paris | Unknown | Directed by Woody Allen |
| 2011 | Sherlock Holmes 2 | Irene Adler |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Shotgun Love Dolls | Beth Swanson | Pilot Episode |
| 2001 | The Famous Jett Jackson | Hannah Grant | Season 3, Episode 19: Food for Thought |
| 2002 | Guilt by Association | Danielle Mason | TV Movie |
| 2002 | Earth: Final Conflict | Christine Bickwell | Season 5, Episode 12: Atavus High |
| 2003 | Slings and Arrows | Kate McNeil | Lead role for 1 season |
References
- ^ Birth announcement in The London Free Press, December 7, 1978
- ^ "Today in history: November 17". MSNBC. 2006-11-17. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Rachel McAdams Biography 1976". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ Lynn Hirschberg. "Crazy Like a Fox". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "A Peek at Rachel's Third Grade "Notebook"". Tmz.com. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/movies/31roze.html?_r=1
- ^ Wood, Gaby (February 18, 2007). "I live on Skid Row. You can't filter out reality there". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "Rachel McAdams Biography". Kidzworld.com. 1976-10-07. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ Rachel McAdams: Nudity Shouldn't Be A Big Deal [1] 11 August 2009
- ^ "Rachel McAdams cast in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes". accesshollywood.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ Morning Glory [2]
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2010 - Movies "Your Choice, Your Voice!"". Teen Choice Awards. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
- ^ THE LONER: GQ Features on men.style.com
- ^ Lehner, Marla (2007-10-17). "Ryan Gosling Consoled Fans After Rachel McAdams Split – Breakups, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling". People.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Rachel McAdams and Josh Lucas spotted kissing at Moet Purple Ball". Nydailynews.com. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen Take Romance Public". US Weekly. 2010-10-05.
External links
