Did Rachel McAdams Retire From Acting?
For a time, Rachel was coming out with a new movie (or two) every year. But fans have noticed that she’s been more selective with her roles in recent times, and even taken years-long hiatuses at a time. She’s reportedly turned down big roles in films like The Devil Wears Prada, Mission: Impossible III, Iron Man, and Get Smart.
Though Rachel continues to take on roles today, she’s not nearly on the big screen as much as she used to be, which has caused speculation over whether this was her decision or the result of Hollywood forcing her out. Here’s what we know.
Rachel McAdams Took Breaks From Acting For Her Mental Health
Rachel recently opened up to Bustle about her decision to step away from acting. While the actress says the opportunities kept coming, she needed to take a step back to prioritize her mental health, or “stay sane,” as she put it.
“I felt guilty for not capitalizing on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot,” the Mean Girls star explained. “But I also knew it wasn't quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane.”
“There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that?” Rachel continued. “It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing.”
The actress implied that while she may have some regrets over turning down certain opportunities, she feels everything has worked out for the best. “There’s certainly things like ‘I wish I’d done that,’” she went on. “I step back and go, ‘That was the right person for that.’”
Rachel McAdams Was Once Told She Was “Too Old” For Hollywood
Rachel may have made a conscious decision to be more selective with her roles, but casting directors may be acting more selective, too. It’s an unfortunately known fact in Hollywood that many actresses have greater difficulty booking roles as they get older. Early to mid-20s are often considered the prime in an actress’s career. So, now that Rachel is 44 years old, she may find there are fewer roles available for actresses in her age group.
Rachel previously admitted that she was once told she was “tool old” to play Regina George in Mean Girls, one of her most famous roles, despite being in her mid-20s at the time.
Speaking to E! News, director Mark Waters recalled rejecting Rachel from the role when she first auditioned. “I remember watching her do the scene, and after it was over, I told her, ‘I think you’re a movie star, but you’re way too old for this character. You just aren’t going to be able to play the ingenue,’” he explained.
He said Rachel was understanding, adding, “She said, ‘No, I understand, I get it.”
However, Rachel later told Entertainment Weekly that Waters was grateful he changed his mind and cast her in the iconic role. “Mark said, ‘I see Cady a little bit younger, but I think it makes sense if Regina kind of grew up a little too fast,’” she said.
Considering Rachel experienced ageism in her 20s, it’s likely she’s faced it later on in her career. So, although Hollywood may not have technically forced Rachel out, there may be more limited roles available to her compared to earlier in her career.
Rachel Took Time To Focus On Her Family, Not Her Career
There’s one other explanatory factor as to why Rachel took a hiatus from Hollywood – she started a family. The actress is notoriously private, and the public wasn’t even aware she was expecting until she gave birth.
The news broke that Rachel welcomed a baby boy with her then-boyfriend Jamie Linden in February 2018 when the couple were seen in public with a newborn. No photos were published of the actress in her pregnancy. Rachel likely had to go to great lengths to avoid the paparazzi throughout her entire pregnancy. It also helped that she didn’t have big projects in the works at the time, so she was able to maintain a low profile.
Rachel later reflected on taking time off to be with her son after his birth, and how the toddler traveled with her when she started filming Eurovision: The Story of Fire Sage in Iceland. "I got a lot of time off beforehand so I was pretty ready to go back [to work] by the time I did,” she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2020.
"He'll never remember any of it, but I feel like somehow that might stick to his soul and his personality a little bit, so it was great to get to travel," she added. "We've been cuddled up for so long together that it was wonderful to go out into the world and get to work at the same time. I felt really lucky to be able to do that."
It was later announced in August 2020 that Rachel and Jamie were expecting their second child. The actress was less secretive about this pregnancy and was photographed on numerous occasions with a baby bump.
Even though she’s now a mother-of-two, Rachel continues to act, even if her roles are fewer and farther between. The actress has a role in the upcoming film Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.
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