In a new interview with PEOPLE, McAdams said she first read for the part of Cady Heron, the innocent new girl who was ultimately played by Lindsay Lohan. At the time, McAdams was 25 and just starting her career.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is a futile exercise. I will never be hired for Cady,’” she said. “It was the main character, and I didn’t think I was at that point in my life.”
Instead of stressing about the outcome, McAdams said she went into the audition simply hoping to be involved in the movie in any way. She loved the script by Tina Fey so much that she even told her manager she would accept a role with just one line.
That’s when Mean Girls director Mark Waters offered an unexpected idea.
“He told me I was too old to play Cady, but just right for Regina,” McAdams recalled. She took it as a compliment, noting that Regina felt like someone with more experience and confidence than the younger, more naive Cady.
When Mean Girls was released in April 2004, Regina George quickly became an iconic character. McAdams says playing the villain was a joy. “Playing the bad guy is the best,” she said.
Just two months later, McAdams appeared in The Notebook, which helped cement her status as a rising star. Looking back, she says the timing of both films was largely out of her control.
“I’ve heard that luck might get your foot in the door, but it doesn’t keep you in the room,” she said. “I think that’s really true.”
Over the past two decades, McAdams has built a wide-ranging career, starring in comedies like Wedding Crashers, dramas such as Spotlight—which earned her an Oscar nomination—and blockbuster films including Marvel’s Doctor Strange series.
“I feel really lucky to still be here,” McAdams said. “I’m still pinching myself.”
McAdams can now be seen in the new psychological thriller Send Help, which is currently playing in theaters.
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