Rachel McAdams was first seen in the 2001 television film ‘Shotgun Love Dolls’ directed by T.J. Scott. In 2002, she made her first big-screen appearance in the Paolo Virzì-directed comedy film ‘My Name Is Tanino.’ That same year, she also starred as ‘Jessica Spencer / Girl Clive Maxtone’ in the American comedy film ‘The Hot Chick’ directed by Tom Brady. The film was panned by critics and received a 21% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2004, she played the role of ‘Regina George’ in the Mark Waters-directed American teen comedy film ‘Mean Girls.’ The film received wide acclaim from critics and was a massive commercial success, grossing over $130.1 million on a budget of $17 million. That same year, she also portrayed ‘Allison "Allie" Hamilton’ in the American romantic drama film ‘The Notebook’ directed by Nick Cassavetes. Even though the film met with a mixed critical response, it turned out to be a commercial success and grossed over $117.8 million on a budget of $29 million. She next appeared in films such as ‘Wedding Crashers’ (2005), ‘The Family Stone’ (2005), ‘Married Life’ (2007), ‘The Lucky Ones’ (2008), ‘State of Play’ (2009), and ‘The Time Traveler's Wife’ (2009).
In 2009, she starred as ‘Irene Adler’ in the period mystery action film ‘Sherlock Holmes’ directed by Guy Ritchie. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a major financial success, grossing over $524 million on a budget of $90 million. She was next seen in films like ‘Morning Glory’ (2010), ‘Midnight in Paris’ (2011), ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ (2011), ‘The Vow’ (2012), ‘To the Wonder’ (2012), ‘About Time’ (2013), ‘A Most Wanted Man’ (2014), ‘The Little Prince’ (2015), ‘Aloha’ (2015), and ‘Southpaw’ (2015). McAdams received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of ‘Sacha Pfeiffer’ in the 2015 American biographical drama film ‘Spotlight’ directed by Tom McCarthy. The film opened to critical acclaim and grossed over $98.7 million on a $20 million budget. The following year, she played the role of ‘Christine Palmer’ in the American superhero film ‘Doctor Strange’ directed by Scott Derrickson. The film was well-received by critics and performed well at the box office, grossing over $677.8 million on a budget of $165–236.6 million. She continued to star in films like ‘Disobedience’ (2017), ‘Game Night’ (2018), and ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ (2020). McAdams was last seen in the 2022 Sam Raimi-directed American superhero film ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ where she reprised her role as ‘Christine Palmer.’ The film opened to a positive reception and grossed over $955.8 million on a $200 million budget.