At the age of four, she took up competitive figure skating. She took up acting at age thirteen at a summer theater camp.Rachel attended Central Elgin Collegiate Institute in St. Thomas from grade nine to OAC (An optional 13th year for Ontario students before university, which was phased out in 2003). She later graduated from York University with honours, where she studied theatre.

She had a large role in the film The Hot Chick, alongside Rob Schneider, but her career really took off when she starred as Regina George, popularity queen and resident bitch of her school, in the 2004 hit Mean Girls. She starred opposite Hollywood It-Girl Lindsay Lohan (who was ten years her junior). Mean Girls got McAdams' name into many homes around the United States, as it was such a big hit.

She followed Mean Girls with the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel The Notebook, alongside Ryan Gosling. In 2005, she played the engaged daughter of an important political leader in The Wedding Crashers. She starred opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Her most recent role was in the thriller Red Eye.

McAdams received critical acclaim for both roles and was honoured for her work, most recently a record number of five nominations, and three wins, at the MTV Movie Awards in 2005.

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