Rachel McAdams doesn’t pretend she’d thrive if dropped into the wild, but she does carry one practical skill that could matter in a real emergency. While promoting her new survival thriller, Send Help, she spoke candidly about her limits in the outdoors. McAdams also discussed why she enjoys pushing herself into unfamiliar genres, and how a Marvel role quietly left her with a useful, hands-on ability she never expected to keep.
Rachel McAdams reveals she learned a special skill on the set of Doctor Strange
Of all the things McAdams has taken from her long film career, one of the most practical came from playing Dr. Christine Palmer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While working on Doctor Strange, she learned how to properly do stitches, a detail required for the role that turned into a real-life takeaway. “I did get to learn how to do stitches. It became like knitting,” McAdams said.
That skill stands out because McAdams is quick to admit she’s no expert survivalist. Speaking to People, she laughed about her long-held daydreams of being stranded and figuring things out on her own. Reality, however, paints a different picture. “I have fantasies of being a survivalist,” she said, before undercutting it with honesty. “But in actuality, I would last an hour,” she added.
Still, McAdams doesn’t sell herself short. She believes her adaptability counts for something, especially after years of working on location-heavy productions. “I think the life of an actor has made me kind of hearty,” she explained. She can pack quickly, land somewhere unfamiliar, and adjust on the fly, calling it an “adventure.”
That adaptability feeds directly into Send Help, now playing in theaters and directed by Sam Raimi. McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a quiet employee who finally gets pushed beyond her limits after surviving a plane crash and becoming stranded on an island with her boss, played by Dylan O’Brien. McAdams described Linda as someone who rarely gets to prove herself until circumstances force her to step up. “I’ve never quite done this genre,” she said, calling the role both demanding and exciting.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya for ComingSoon.
