Daily Telegraph
Published: January 29, 2012

She’s the queen of the weepy movie, starring in sob-out-loud films The Notebook, opposite her then-boyfriend Ryan Gosling, and The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana.

Now, in her next sentimental saga, The Vow, Rachel McAdams will have audiences reaching for tissues again. “I’m a fan of romantic movies,” McAdams, 33, tells Insider at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

“I never go into a movie wanting to cry. I try to avoid those films but I’m glad when I do see them because those movies stay with you forever and you have a cathartic experience. For me, they are the most meaningful.”

The Vow, loosely based on a true story, is about a newlywed couple who try to reconnect after a car crash renders the wife with a severe memory disorder. Audiences see co-star Channing Tatum’s character go to extraordinary lengths to win back his wife’s affections.

McAdams, looking dramatic in a Katharine Kidd strapless black lace gown, says: “There are incredible gestures of faith and love that happen all around us but I think the ups and downs can make for a more interesting ride. Not only does Mr Perfect not exist, if he did, he’d be incredibly boring.”

Although McAdams doesn’t reveal which of her former boyfriends has gone the extra mile, she says: “Someone once went behind my back, got all of my measurements, and had a dress made for me.” (Although unconfirmed, all signs point to Gosling, who has a passion for designing clothes).

And did this gesture win her over? “It certainly did,” she smiles. “I had seen the dress in a window one night when we were walking. I stopped and I was just gazing at it and he did that for me. That was lovely.”

Famously private, she is currently in a relationship with Welsh actor Michael Sheen, whom she met in July 2010 on the set of Oscar-nominated Midnight in Paris.

“I will remain silent on this subject,” she says, adding, “I find British men to be gentlemanly, not that American men are not, but there’s definitely a certain gentlemanly chivalry.”

Born in Ontario, Canada, McAdams first came to our attention as the breakout star of Mean Girls before starring in Wedding Crashers, State of Play, Morning Glory, and most recently, as the shrewish fiance of Owen Wilson’s character in the Oscar-nominated Midnight In Paris.

With a love for travelling, McAdams’ first adventure was backpacking to Australia after she graduated from Toronto’s York University.

“I went without a plan, which is a great way to see Australia. I started in Cairns and went to Cape Tribulation. I found myself on buses, on the side of the road and in hostels.”

“When I got to Sydney, I was reading my tour book which said, ‘avoid King’s Cross.’ I got there and a childhood friend, who I was going to stay with, said, ‘We’re staying on this guy’s couch in The Cross. It’s really colourful, you’ll like it.”

“It was fantastic. It was one of the best trips of my life. Whitehaven was and remains the best beach I’ve seen.”

Despite her obvious physical appeal, Mc- Adams has turned in substantial performances without always being confined to the ‘girlfriend.’ role. “I think you’re always fighting to surprise other people, as well as yourself. Part of the fun is trying to go against what people think,” she says.

“I pinch myself when I think about the people I’ve worked with, particularly the actors I grew up watching in my favourite films. It still amazes me.“