Photo: Mark Seliger
Rachel McAdamsis reflecting on her decision to take a break from Hollywood.
While speaking withBustleabout her role in the new film adaptation ofJudy Blume’sAre You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, McAdams, 44, told the outlet: “I guess I always had a sense that it would be OK; either it’s going to work out or it’s not,” when it came to pausing her career.
That time away from the spotlight “really helped me feel empowered,” she said. “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.”
McAdams, who has starred in comedies likeMean Girls, romantic dramas likeThe Notebookand theAcademy Award-winningSpotlight, has taken more than entire years off of work in the past. She did not appear in any films during 2006 or 2019, andAre You There, God? It’s Me, Margaretmarks McAdams' third onscreen role since 2020, per herIMDb profile.
“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 toldBustleabout taking a two-year break from acting in the 2000s. “But I also knew it wasn’t quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane.”
Rachel McAdams.Mark Seliger
McAdams added during the interview that she did not feel entirely confident her break was the right decision at the time; the outlet noted she turned down parts in movies likeThe Devil Wears Prada,Casino RoyaleandIron Manjust years after she initially broke out in 2004’sMean Girls.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that?” she recalled to the outlet. “It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing.”
“I think she’s still getting over having parents that didn’t support her. So she wants to be incredibly supportive of her daughter, almost to a fault,” the actress told PEOPLE about her character atthe movie’s Los Angeles premiereon Saturday.
“I don’t think she’s a smothering mother at all,” she added. “But she’s almost too hands-off in some ways, certainly when it comes to the religion. She’s got her own shadows there, and I think it takes her a minute to realize Margaret can handle it.”
While Margaret deals with a new school, Barbara is still “finding her own footing in a new place,” and grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates) tries to find “happiness in the next phase of her life” as her loved ones move away, according to an official synopsis for the film.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaretis in theaters April 28.
source: people.com
