Rachel McAdams has become a household name; her transcendent talent, beauty and class has made her a Hollywood favourite, and throughout her career we have adored many of her iconic performances.
It can't be denied that Rachel has certainly been in her share of rom-com flops...we willed About Time (2013) to be better than it was, and although she was perfect for the role of Clare Abshire in The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), us die-hard fans of the book were left feeling underwhelmed by the adaptation.
Those films aside, we have charted five others that owe Rachel for their success.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls has to be one of the most influential teen movies of the generation. A cult classic directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey (and based on Rosalind Wiseman’s self-help book, Queen Bees and Wannabes), it is perhaps the most widely quoted film ever – so fetch.
The film portrays the social politics and hierarchies so synonymous with high school life, and Rachel McAdams plays the Queen Bee and leader of The Plastics, Regina George - the ultimate wicked popular girl.
'…evil takes human form in Regina George. Now don’t be fooled – she may seem like a typical selfish back-stabbing slut face, hoe bag, but in reality she is so much more than that. She’s Queen Bee, the star…'
Lindsay Lohan, who played ‘home-schooled jungle freak’ turned Queen Bee, Cady Heron, originally auditioned for the part of Regina George, and so did Amanda Seyfried who ended up playing 'the dumbest girl you will ever meet', Karen Smith. Funnily enough, Rachel actually auditioned for the part of Cady Heron in the early stages, but we don't think anyone could have created the bitchy legacy of Regina George like she did...('oh my god I love your skirt where did you get it?')
The Notebook (2004)
We all remember the poster shot, the DVD cover, the famous scene - Allie and Noah locked in a magical embrace, kissing in the rain. We remember how we felt the first time we watched it - our adolescent selves marvelling at the wonder of such a perfect love story.
It's hard to believe that this unapologetic weepie, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, came out the same year as Mean Girls did, with Rachel McAdams playing two lead roles that are so far removed - quite a testament to her acting talent. Although Rachel was around 25-years-old when she played 17-year-old Allie Hamilton, she captured the naivety and recklessness of young love so well that on some very (very) small level we could relate to her (or at least we could relate to her rebellion against her parents...sorry, mum).
However cheesy The Notebook is, it is the on-screen chemistry between Rachel McAdams and co-star Ryan Gosling that made the film so _note_worthy. This is another testament to Rachel's acting talent as according to the director of the film, Nick Cassavetes, the pair didn't get along at all during filming and would argue constantly. Finding this out may have chipped our young hearts, but to our delight the pair's dislike for each other didn't stick and they ended up dating on and off for four years.
Red Eye (2005)
Rachel also starred in the 2005 thriller Red Eye alongside Cillian Murphy, which tells the story of Lisa Reisert (McAdams), a hotel manager, who when on a red eye flight home to Miami finds herself being the target of blackmail by another passenger. Although the film was not groundbreaking and perhaps not deserving of critical acclaim, Rachel was praised for her impeccably understated performance - somewhere in-between bitchy teen Regina George and desperately love-struck Allie Hamilton.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
If you’re in need of some light-hearted and hilarious film viewing, Wedding Crashers is the perfect antidote on a dreary weekday. While the 2005 comedy, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, has a definite bromance appeal, Rachel McAdams role as environmental activist Claire is the perfect match for Wilson's character. Clearly the pair got on well, as they went on the star in Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris ten years later.
Spotlight (2015)
Aspiring journos? This gripping, biographical drama which won the Academy Award for 'Best Picture' this year is a must-see - based on the real-life story about a group of reporters at the Boston Globe in 2001 set on uncovering a huge scandal and exploring how far people are willing to go to hide it. McAdams' role as a young investigative journalist is her most serious, and best, role to date by far. While she didn’t take home the 'Best Actress' Oscar for her performance (her first ever nomination), it was a career-game changer – and a departure from her well-known roles in romantic dramas.
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