Rachel McAdams admits she had no idea just how much animosity audiences would feel toward her iconic Mean Girls character, Regina George.
The actress, now 47, starred opposite Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, and Lizzy Caplan in Mark Waters’ 2004 teen comedy, which went on to become a pop culture phenomenon. McAdams played Regina, the ruthless queen bee of the Plastics at North Shore High, whose downfall remains one of the film’s most cheered moments.
Looking back, McAdams says she was unprepared for the intensity and longevity of the reaction to Regina. Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, she recalled her surprise at the audience’s reactions during early screenings.
“I didn’t know how hated she would be and for how long,” McAdams said. “The first time I saw the film with an audience, I was with my best friend. Everyone cheered when Regina was hit by a bus, and my friend stood up and screamed, ‘Noooo!’”
Despite Regina’s villain status, the role helped cement McAdams as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, and Mean Girls continues to resonate with new generations of fans more than two decades later.
McAdams’ latest project is Send Help, a survival thriller directed by Sam Raimi. The film follows Linda Liddle, a financial strategist and survival enthusiast, who becomes stranded on a deserted island with her boss, played by Dylan O’Brien, after a plane crash.
Speaking about reuniting with Raimi, whom she previously worked with on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, McAdams praised the filmmaker’s unique approach.
“He is so wonderful and such a kind, lovely man who makes dark, demented films,” she said. “So I knew it would be a big reach.”
Raimi, best known for launching The Evil Dead franchise in 1981, has long balanced horror, humor, and heart, a blend McAdams says made Send Help an exciting challenge.
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