Career Timeline of Rachel McAdams: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Rachel McAdams built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress who gained prominence for her roles in both comedic and dramatic films. A graduate of York University with a BFA in theatre, she later expanded her career to include television and theater. Her work has been recognized with nominations for prestigious awards such as an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award, highlighting her versatility and impact across different acting mediums.
1992: Model for Regina George
In 2004, Rachel McAdams, while cast as Regina George in Mean Girls, modelled her character on Alec Baldwin's performance in the 1992 drama Glengarry Glen Ross.
2001: Television and Film Debut
In 2001, Rachel McAdams made her television debut in the MTV pilot "Shotgun Love Dolls" as Beth Swanson and her Canadian film debut in the comedy "My Name Is Tanino". This year also marked her first time on an airplane.
2002: Hollywood film debut in "The Hot Chick"
In 2002, Rachel McAdams made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy "The Hot Chick".
2002: Hollywood Debut and "Slings and Arrows"
In 2002, Rachel McAdams made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy "The Hot Chick". Afterwards, she returned to Canada to star as Kate McNab in "Slings and Arrows", a comedy mini-series, winning one Gemini Award for her work on the program.
2002: Filming "The Notebook"
Rachel McAdams began filming "The Notebook" in late 2002.
2003: Filming "The Notebook"
Rachel McAdams continued filming "The Notebook" in early 2003.
2004: Breakthrough roles in "Mean Girls" and "The Notebook"
In 2004, Rachel McAdams rose to fame with her roles in the comedy "Mean Girls" and the romantic drama "The Notebook".
2004: Starred in "The Notebook"
In 2004, Rachel McAdams starred in "The Notebook", playing Allie Hamilton. She learned a Southern accent and took ballet and etiquette classes to prepare for the role.
2004: Starring in "Mean Girls"
In 2004, Rachel McAdams starred in the comedy film "Mean Girls" as Regina George. The film was a box office success grossing $129 million worldwide. Tina Fey credited McAdams with teaching her how to act in front of a camera.
2005: Starred in "Red Eye" and "The Family Stone"
In 2005, Rachel McAdams starred in the psychological thriller "Red Eye" and the seasonal family comedy-drama "The Family Stone", showcasing her versatility in different roles.
2005: Starring roles in "Wedding Crashers", "Red Eye", and "The Family Stone"
In 2005, Rachel McAdams starred in the romantic comedy "Wedding Crashers", the psychological thriller "Red Eye", and the comedy-drama "The Family Stone", solidifying her status as Hollywood's "it girl".
2005: Starring in "Wedding Crashers"
In 2005, Rachel McAdams starred in the romantic comedy "Wedding Crashers". She prepared for emotional scenes by listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", and trained for a sailing certification.
2005: Volunteering after Hurricane Katrina
In the fall of 2005, Rachel McAdams volunteered in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Louisiana as part of the clean-up effort following Hurricane Katrina.
February 2006: Stage Appearance in The Vagina Monologues
In February 2006, Rachel McAdams made a stage appearance in "The Vagina Monologues" to raise funds for V-Day at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto.
2006: Participation in "Day Without Immigrants" demonstration
In 2006, Rachel McAdams took part in the "Day Without Immigrants" demonstration in Los Angeles, protesting the federal government's attempts to further criminalize immigrants living illegally in the United States.
2007: GreenIsSexy.org and TreeHugger/Live Earth judging panel
In 2007, Rachel McAdams ran an eco-friendly lifestyle website, GreenIsSexy.org, and sat on a TreeHugger/Live Earth judging panel.
2008: Return to Film Career with "Married Life"
In 2008, Rachel McAdams returned to her film career, starring in the film noir "Married Life". She played Kay Nesbitt, and the film shoot re-energized her.
2009: Starring roles in "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Sherlock Holmes"
In 2009, Rachel McAdams gained further prominence starring in the films "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Sherlock Holmes".
2009: Starred in 'Sherlock Holmes'
In 2009, Rachel McAdams played Irene Adler in 'Sherlock Holmes' with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. The film was a major commercial success, earning over $524 million at the worldwide box office.
2009: Starred in 'State of Play' and 'The Time Traveler's Wife'
In 2009, Rachel McAdams starred in 'State of Play', a political thriller, as Della Frye, an online reporter, alongside Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, and Ben Affleck. She also starred in 'The Time Traveler's Wife', a science fiction romantic drama, opposite Eric Bana. Both films were commercially successful, grossing over $87 million and $101 million worldwide, respectively.
2010: Starred in 'Morning Glory'
In 2010, Rachel McAdams starred in the comedy 'Morning Glory' with Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford, playing a television producer. The film was a modest commercial success, grossing $58 million worldwide.
2011: Attendance at Occupy Toronto demonstration
In 2011, Rachel McAdams attended the Occupy Toronto demonstration.
2011: Starred in 'Midnight in Paris'
In 2011, Rachel McAdams starred as Inez in Woody Allen's fantasy romantic comedy 'Midnight in Paris' with Owen Wilson. The film became Allen's highest-grossing film ever in North America and was the most commercially successful independent film of 2011.
2011: Favorite Character
In 2011, Rachel McAdams stated that Colee Dunn from "The Lucky Ones" was one of her favorite characters she's ever played.
2011: Support for Foodstock and Matter of Trust's "hair boom" efforts
In 2011, Rachel McAdams supported Foodstock, a protest against a proposed limestone mega quarry in Melancthon, Ontario, and was involved in Matter of Trust's "hair boom" efforts following the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
2012: Starring in "The Vow"
In 2012, Rachel McAdams starred in the film "The Vow".
2013: Starred in 'To the Wonder' and 'Passion'
In 2013, Rachel McAdams co-starred in Terrence Malick's 'To the Wonder' with Ben Affleck and starred in Brian De Palma's erotic thriller 'Passion' opposite Noomi Rapace. 'To the Wonder' received polarized reviews, while 'Passion' had a limited release in the US.
2013: Promotional videos for Food & Water First Movement
In 2013, Rachel McAdams filmed two promotional videos for the Food & Water First Movement, aiming to preserve prime farmland and source water in Ontario, Canada.
2013: Starred in 'About Time'
In 2013, Rachel McAdams starred in Richard Curtis' romantic comedy-drama 'About Time' opposite Domhnall Gleeson. The film was a commercial success at the international box office, receiving positive reviews.
2013: Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity
In 2013, Rachel McAdams volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in her hometown of St. Thomas.
2014: Narration of 'Take Me To The River'
In 2014, Rachel McAdams narrated the feature documentary 'Take Me To The River', which investigates what is being done to try to save iconic rivers.
2014: Starred in 'A Most Wanted Man' and Received Star on Canada's Walk of Fame
In 2014, Rachel McAdams starred opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in 'A Most Wanted Man'. Later in 2014, McAdams received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
December 2015: U.S. limited release of 'Every Thing Will Be Fine'
In December 2015, Rachel McAdams co-starred in 'Every Thing Will Be Fine', which received a U.S. limited release. McAdams also returned to television in the second season of HBO's 'True Detective' and played Buttercup in a staged reading of 'The Princess Bride' in 2015.
2015: Starred in 'Spotlight'
In 2015, Rachel McAdams starred as journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in Tom McCarthy's 'Spotlight'. The film garnered critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with McAdams receiving multiple award nominations for her role.
2015: Starred in "True Detective" Season 2
In 2015, Rachel McAdams starred in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama series "True Detective", earning a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.
2015: Academy Award nomination for "Spotlight"
In 2015, Rachel McAdams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sacha Pfeiffer in the drama "Spotlight".
2016: Roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Doctor Strange"
In 2016, Rachel McAdams played a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Doctor Strange".
2016: Roles in 'The Little Prince' and 'Doctor Strange', narration of 'Anne of Green Gables'
In 2016, Rachel McAdams voiced The Mother of The Little Girl in the animated version of 'The Little Prince', co-starred in 'Doctor Strange' as Christine Palmer, and narrated an audiobook version of 'Anne of Green Gables' by L.M. Montgomery.
2017: Role in "Disobedience"
In 2017, Rachel McAdams played a role in the romantic drama "Disobedience".
2018: Roles in 'Game Night' and 'Disobedience'
In 2018, Rachel McAdams co-starred in the comedy 'Game Night' with Jason Bateman and starred opposite Rachel Weisz in the romantic drama 'Disobedience', which is based on Naomi Alderman's novel.
2018: Role in "Game Night"
In 2018, Rachel McAdams played a role in the comedy "Game Night".
2020: Role in 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'
In 2020, Rachel McAdams co-starred in the Netflix musical comedy film 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' with Will Ferrell.
2021: Participation in Stand.earth video
In 2021, Rachel McAdams participated in a video produced by Stand.earth calling on the government of British Columbia, Canada to stop logging the last old growth rainforests across the province.
May 2022: Release of 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'
In May 2022, Rachel McAdams reprised her role as Christine Palmer in the superhero sequel 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', which garnered mixed reviews.
2022: Role in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"
In 2022, Rachel McAdams played a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".
April 2023: Release of 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.'
In April 2023, Rachel McAdams starred in 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.', a film adaptation of Judy Blume's novel, which was released to positive reviews.
2023: Role in "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
In 2023, Rachel McAdams played a role in the comedy-drama "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
January 2024: Saturday Night Live Cameo
In January 2024, Rachel McAdams made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live, introducing Reneé Rapp as the musical guest and appearing in a comedy sketch.
April 23, 2024: Broadway Debut in 'Mary Jane'
On April 23, 2024, Rachel McAdams had her opening night in her Broadway debut, starring in Amy Herzog's play 'Mary Jane' at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
2024: Broadway debut in "Mary Jane"
In 2024, Rachel McAdams made her Broadway debut in the Amy Herzog play "Mary Jane", receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.
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