St. Thomas Wall of Fame: Rachel McAdams

Nestled in on the upper level of the Joe Thornton Community Centre is the St. Thomas Wall of Fame, where photographs and brief bios of St. Thomas teams and individuals are displayed and celebrated for their impacts and achievements. Join us as we dive deeper into the stories and people behind the photographs.

Rachel McAdams is undoubtedly a Hollywood icon. From her roles in films like Mean Girls, and The Notebook, to series like Slings & Arrows and theater appearances including Mary Jane on Broadway. Rachel is an incredibly talented actress and person and is certainly someone who we are #stthomasproud of!

Raised in St. Thomas, Rachel is the proud daughter of Sandra, a nurse, and Lance, a truck driver. Rachel grew up among the tree streets alongside her younger sister, Kayleen and younger brother, Daniel. As a Hollywood makeup artist, Kayleen has worked on memorable films and stars herself. In the 2023 film Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Rachel hired Kayleen as her makeup artist, with the sisters renting houses next door to one another during filming.
Before acting, Rachel was a talented figure skater. Her parents even offered to move her to Toronto to pursue figure skating as a pre-teen. In an interview with Bustle, she remembers that discussion and thinking it was a horrible idea. “I wanted to be with my friends and do it for fun,” Rachel said. She continued to skate competitively until she was 18, when she officially traded in her skates for acting and theatre.

Attending Myrtle Street Public School and Central Elgin Collegiate, Rachel was actively involved in school sports, clubs, and student council, but discovered her love for acting young. She attended Disney and William Shakespeare summer camps, participated in Original Kids Theatre Company, and directed children’s theatre productions in her teens.

Rachel was heavily involved in theatre at her high school, Central Elgin Collegiate, and she even won an Outstanding Performance award from the Sears Drama Festival Ontario Showcase. Outside of school, figure skating and theatre, she worked part-time alongside her siblings at McDonald's, living a very normal St. Thomas life. 

​Two teachers were essential in encouraging Rachel to pursue acting: drama teacher Linda Maskell-Pereira and English teacher Christopher Pereira. In an interview with Eric Bunnell, Rachel said, “You know that story a teacher can change your life? In this case, there are two teachers that can change your life. And they did. I wouldn’t be on this stage without them.” Central renamed its stage to The Maskell Pereira Performing Arts Stage in honour of the teachers who encouraged Rachel to pursue acting.

​Rachel attended York University’s theatre program and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2001. While on March Break in 2001, Rachel made her television debut on an MTV pilot of Shotgun Love Dolls, and her Canadian film debut in My Name is Tanino. In 2002, Rachel starred in the Canadian film Perfect Pie, which premiered at TIFF and earned Rachel a Genie Award nomination (akin to the Oscars). 

In 2002, Rachel made her official Hollywood debut, starring alongside Rob Schneider and Anna Faris in The Hot Chick. She then returned to Canada, where she starred in the television series Slings & Arrows, a comedy based on a Shakespearean festival similar to the Stratford Festival. 

Slings & Arrows had a stellar ensemble cast of Canadian actors, and the show gained traction not just in Canada but also in the USA and UK. It was an impressive feat which encouraged international buyers to look more closely at Canadian programming and created opportunities for Canadian producers and creatives. Rachel received two Gemini Award nominations for her role on the show, and in 2003 ,she won a Gemini Award (akin to an Emmy). For all her Hollywood success, it is Rachel’s performance in Slings & Arrows that earned her a spot on the St. Thomas Wall of Fame because of that Gemini Award. 

After arguable Canadian success, Rachel’s true break-out roles came in 2004, when she starred as Regina George in Mean Girls and Allie Hamilton in The Notebook. In 2005 she starred in Wedding Crashers and has gone on to star in more than 25 films, over six television shows, Mary Jane on Broadway, and more.

Rachel has countless awards and nominations to her name, and has won Teen Choice Awards, Critic’s Choice Awards, People’s Choice Awards, Canadian Screen Awards, and many more. Rachel was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2010, which celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to Canadian culture and is one of the highest honours for Canadian performers. She also was honoured with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2015, marking her as a prominent figure in the arts and entertainment industry.

In her interview with Bunnell, Rachel said, “St. Thomas was so formative of me. It made me who I am…I just talk about what a rich place it was for me as an actor, as a wannabe actor, and just as a kid in general”. Even though she is now a superstar, it warms our hearts to know that she still fondly thinks of her hometown of St. Thomas and its impact on her identity. Like St. Thomas, Rachel is hardworking, authentic, supportive and community-oriented. She knows who she is and has firm boundaries, and she isn’t afraid to walk away from situations or deals that don’t speak to her (including turning down roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Mission: Impossible III, and more).

Now a mother to two children with her partner Jamie Linden (and their two terrier mix dogs), Rachel is adapting to juggling her personal and professional lives while taking periodic breaks from Hollywood. In an interview with Bustle, Rachel said her favourite thing to do is to ride around town with her kids on their bikes. Rachel told Bunnell she often “dreams about coming back to Canada full time”, and she is known to pop by St. Thomas for family visits every once in a while. 

Interested in exploring St. Thomas through a Rachel McAdam’s lens? Check out our Rachel McAdams Hometown Tour to get a little taste of Hollywood right at home.

if you go

📍The Wall of Fame is located on the upper level of the Joe Thornton Community Centre at 75 Caso Xing, St Thomas,

---

Paige Palmer, Marketing Assistant, St. Thomas EDC

Paige is a proud recent graduate of Western University's Media and Communications (MACS) program and King's University College's Thanatology program. Born and raised in Elgin County, Paige loves connecting with local people and businesses to tell their stories and promote their hard work. A previous St. Thomas Parks and Forestry summer student, Paige loves exploring local parks and trails, capturing some beautiful pictures along the way.