Marie Claire Australia
Published: October, 2009

She’s been a scene-stealer in some of the decade’s biggest blockbusters, but this lumino girl next door is just as interesting in the environment as the red carpet. Jenny Ewart and Robert Hayes discover why she’s finally stepping into the spotlight.

Rachel McAdams is pacing herself. She has been Tinseltown’s next big thing since she sashayed into the limelight as the quintessential queen bee in 2004′s Mean Girls. Teaming up with Ryan Gosling – on screen and off – for the unashamed swoon fest The Notebook only cemented her up-an-comer status. But while she’s been hot property in Hollywood, the Canadian actress doesn’t seem to have been in any hurry to make it big. She’s had her pick of career-defining parts, turning down Anne Hahaway’s role in The Devil Wears Prada, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s part in Iron Man, and declined a coveted Vanity Fair cover when she discovered she was expected to pose nude, with Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson.

Instead, McAdams has chosen strong, ensemble-led films like 2005′s The Family Stone (co-star Diane Keaton gushed how she “hadn’t been that impressed with someone” since working with Meryl Streep), taken a year off to hang out with family and friends, and started an environmental website, Green is Sexy (www.greenissexy.org), with two friends. Crediting a visit to Australia’s beaches as a backpacker for reigniting her “passion for the planet“, McAdams says she loves feeling she’s part of a caring community. “Having this website forces me to stay up to date with cleaner, greener alternatives, such as new products, technologies and ideologies,” she enthuses. “It serves as a great reminder, when I’m feeling cynical or jaded that a lot of people care about – and are working towards – an improved environment.”

This year, though, McAdams, 30, looks set to imprint herself on the A-list, thanks to three much-hyped films. She garnered critical acclaim for her role as a feisty junior reporter in State of Play, co-starring Russel Crowe, and she’ll reclaim her romance crown in the eagerly awaited adaption of book club favorite The Time Traveler’s Wife, opposite Eric Bana. In December, she start with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes.

But despite these roles, McAdams remains refreshingly down-to-earth – she admits to worrying about fallit over in high heels, and experiments much with her hair as with her roles (the natural blonde has gone platinum, brunette and even played with pink streaks). It’s no surprise, then, that she sensible star – who’s more likely to be photographed strolling the streets of her home town, Toronto, with actor-boyfriend Josh Lucas than stumbling out of a night club – says she loves the variety of her job. Here, she talks great roles, romance, and why she’s fighting for a better planet.

You’ve just filmed The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana. Can you talked a little bit about the movie? Did you read the book, and did you enjoy it?
I really connect to the book, first and foremost. I just absolutely feel in love with those characters, with the love story. I knew it would be challenging to adapt that for the screen, [but] it was a welcome challenge. It really is a beautiful love story and they go through a lot together. Someone sent me the book, I read it and was like, “I would be so honored to do this.” When there was an opportunity, I just grabbed on and held tight, and couldn’t let go. It was one of these thing you have to do.

You’ve also just finished shooting Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. What can you tell us about it, and how is it different from other Sherlock Holmes incarnations?
It’s pretty big. I didn’t realize how big it really was until I stepped on the sets and they were massive. And it’s in true Guy Ritchie fashion, too – there’s lots of righting and explosions. Obviously, Robert Downey Jr is an amazing actor and so is Jude Law, and they make a wonderful duo. Everybody has preconceived notions, about Watson in particular. Everyone’s very much like, “Watson’s supposed to be like this.” And I just think Jude is a perfect Watson, oddly enough. They’re really perfect together. That’s kind of the love story, actually. I play supposedly, Sherlock’s love interest, but it’s really Watson (laughs).

Did you expect it to be a standard British costume drama?
Well, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if it would be kind of a satire of Sherlock Holmes in some ways, or if they really would want to boost the comedy. It’s a really nice balance of the two. It’s quite serious and quite heart pumping, and at the same time there’s humour and these light moments, too. I’ve seen just a little sizzle reel of it and it looks beautiful.

How was it shooting in London?
It was really great. It was so advantageous to shoot in the place that Arthur Conan Doyle based everything on. Because we were in dungeons at one point, we were all brushing up against Victorian sludge – the walls were kind of dripping with it. It was really authentic. It’s the biggest movie I’ve ever done. So it was big, grandiose sets and beautiful, stunning costumes. You know, head-to-toe satin and bustles and corsets, and all this fun stuff. I get the best of both worlds because Iren (Adler, McAdams’s character) goes undercover and she wears men’s clothes, but she also wears these beautiful, really outlandish bustiers, and she wears hot pink all the time. She’s not afraid to stand out in a crowd.

What was it like to play a reporter in State of Play?
That was pretty fun, actually. I was shadowing journalists a little bit. We were introduced to some people at The Washington Post and it was funny because they were tricky. They would turn the questions around and I would have to keep saying no, this isn’t about me, this is about you. That’s their job and they’re doing it 24/7.

Russel Crowe is such a gruff, old-dog character in the movie, and you play a young whippersnapper. What was the preparation like?
We got along really well; we really hit it off, so it kind of developed naturally. We had a bit of a disagreement in our first meeting, which was true to our characters, so it was kind of perfect. We both had opposing viewpoints and were very stubborn, and wouldn’t relent. So we fell into it quite naturally and we became friends, and I really enjoyed working with him.

What made you interested in environmental issues? Was it a specific thing that happened to you?
I had a friend who started working at an organic cafe. She invited me along one day and said, “There’s just kind of a feeling to this place and a certain energy.” And I felt it, too. And it really piqued my curiosity. I’d actually had quite a disconnect with the planet growing up, for some reason – I don’t know what it was. I’d go to the beach and I’d be all bundles up, and I’d sit there and read my book and kind of scowl. but I hadn’t really been seeing the most beautiful beaches in the world. We had a beach where you couldn’t go swimming – there was pollution warnings all the time. As my relationship to the plane kind of expanded, I started to connect to it more, and started to look around me a little bit more. I find it’s very positive movement, and it’s stuff you can do so easily – anywhere you are, at any time.

Does your website give examples of what people can doe very day, or what you can do on a regular basis?
It can be such a little thing. Like, not running the water while you’re brushing your teeth. I know it’s frustrating for people to get bogged down in the details, but it’s the details sometimes that add up. It’s stort of our philosophy on the website … not to have “green guilt” necessarily. You know, just do what you can do and what you’re comfortable with. You may feel the positive effects from it; you may be surprised.

How do you stay in shape? Do you enjoy working out?
I have abandoned the gym entirely. Forever, I think, I just don’t enjoy it. I do a certain kind of yoga called Kundalini, which is really breath centered, which I find is so great for acting and for your voice.

Do you have a favorite designer? Which outfit from a red carpet event is your favorite?
There’s no-one in particular, (but) I wore a Donna Karan dress once that was so yummy and lush. And I remember I had to take it off right away because they were sending it to Jamaica for a photoshoot and I was so sad (laughs). I’m kind of open to anything. I love variety. That’s why I love this job: I love living in many different places around the world and playing lots of different characters, an I feel the same way about fashion.