Rachel McAdams, who returns to the screen in the film adaptation of Judy Blume’s best-selling book “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” was offered roles in “Devil Wears Prada” and “Iron Man” among others.
McAdams said in an interview with Bustle that she declined these roles during a break of two years to avoid becoming overwhelmed by fame.
There’s certainly things like ‘I wish I’d done that,’” she said, adding she felt comforted in the success of who was ultimately cast. “I step back and go, ‘That was the right person for that.’”
Other roles offered to McAdams that she turned down included “Casino Royale,” “Mission: Impossible III” and “Get Smart.”
“I felt guilty for not capitalizing 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.”
It’s not like she said it at the time. “There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that? It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing.”
McAdams explained how theater school doesn’t come with a guidebook to navigate fame, and that the breaks from acting helped her feel empowered.
“It helped me feel like I was taking back some control. And I think it sort of allowed me to come in from a different doorway,” she said.
She also pumped breastmilk in between shots of “Margaret” for her 5-month-old daughter, and she hired her sister Kayleen as her makeup artist for the film so that their children could be together while the women were working.
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” arrives in theaters April 28.