Rachel McAdams has admitted to feeling ‘guilty’ about her acting break, but says it’s what she needed ‘to stay sane’.
The actor has down major roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Man and Get Smart during her two-year break from Hollywood at the height of her career in the mid-2000s. The decisions followed career successes in hits including The Notebook and Mean Girls.
Speaking to Bustle, the Canadian actor, who also missed out on starring in the likes of Casino Royale and Mission: Impossible III, shared that her career break left her questioning whether she was 'throwing it all away’.
‘I felt guilty for not capitalising on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot,’ she said.
‘But I also knew it wasn't quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane.’
Though regretful for missed opportunities, the Oscar nominee said she always reasons with herself and thinks: 'That was the right person for that.'
The mother-of-two is normally fiercely private about her family life with longtime partner Jamie Linden and their two kids – a five-year-old son and a daughter, who the couple welcomed in late 2020.
She said at first she wasn’t sure why she was taking time off. ‘It's taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing,’ she shared. 'I guess I always had a sense that it would be OK; either it’s going to work out or it’s not.'
But she now feels ‘empowered’ because of it.
The York University graduate and former McDonald’s employee highlighted that her leads in films like The Notebook and Wedding Crashers made her feel like she achieved ‘overnight’ success.
Referring to life in the limelight, she added: ‘You don't go to theatre school to learn about how to deal with that. There's no book on how to navigate that.’
The former figure skater also shared a glimpse into motherhood life, saying she likes to ride around with her kids and that 'all my bikes have baby seats'.
Reflecting on the recent photo shoot she did for the publication, she enthused: ‘With this shoot, I’m wearing latex underwear. But I’ve had two children. This is my body, and I think that's so important to reflect back out to the world.’
Oscars 2024: The Best Dressed Stars On The 96th Academy Awards Red Carpet
