Several years ago, RACHEL MCADAMS was living in Canada trying to launch her acting career. Practically overnight, this talented actress captured the attention of Hollywood—landing the starring role in a major studio comedy, The Hot Chick, which was released in 2002.
Following The Hot Chick, McAdams landed the female lead opposite Ryan Gosling in New Line Cinema’s The Notebook. The film was directed by Nick Cassavettes and also starred Gena Rowlands, Sam Shepard, Joan Allen, James Garner, and James Marsden. Based on the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, The Notebook follows a young couple (McAdams and Gosling) who meet in their teens and are reunited after World War II. The story of the couple is told in flashbacks by an elderly man (Garner) to the love of his life (Rowlands) who is reading their love story from a cherished notebook.
After completing The Notebook, McAdams starred opposite Lindsay Lohan in Paramount’s Mean Girls written by Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey and produced by Lorne Michaels. The story is based on Rosalind Wiseman’s book “Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence.” The film was directed by Mark Waters (Freaky Friday).
Her latest project, which was directed by Wes Craven, is Dreamworks’ thriller Red-Eye. The film is set to hit theaters on August 19, 2005. Red-Eye is about a woman (McAdams) who is held captive on an airplane by a stranger (Cillian Murphy, 28 Days Later) who threatens to kill her family unless she helps him arrange the assassination of a powerful politician.
This talented young actress recently completed production on Fox 2000’s holiday drama, The Family Stone with Diane Keaton, Sara Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Dermot Mulroney and Clare Danes. The Stone family unites in common cause when their favorite son brings his uptight girlfriend home for the Christmas holiday.
Other projects include Perfect Pie, for which Rachel was nominated for a Genie Award (Canada’s equivalent of an Academy Award). Perfect Pie was based on the play by acclaimed Canadian playwright Judith Thompson and directed by Barbara Willis Sweete (“Yo-Yo Ma Inspired by Bach”). She also starred in Rhombus Media’s Slings and Arrows for which McAdams received a Gemini award (Canada’s equivalent of an Emmy Award) in 2004.
Born in Canada, McAdams was raised in a small town just outside of Toronto. At the age of four, she took up figure skating and skated competitively throughout high school. She always knew she wanted to be an actress, but found it hard to pursue her dream in a town without community theater. When she was 13, a summer theater camp came to town and she was soon performing in productions of Shakespeare.
McAdams went on to graduate with honors with a BFA degree in Theater from York University, where she appeared in numerous student films and stage productions.
McAdams is enjoying the travel and diversity that accompanies her newfound success, but hopes to get back to her first love, the theater, when her busy schedule permits.
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