Rachel McAdams Skipped School, Watched TV, Got Famous

It could happen to you, too! But how exactly did it happen to her?

Well, it’s not really clear, based on our sources. Our tip-off gossip tidbit, titled “Rachel McAdams ‘skipped school for TV,'” provides a little ditty about how watching soap operas gave McAdams “an advantage” in Morning Glory. But it doesn’t really explain the cause/effect relationship between missing school and watching lots of television, and becoming a superstar actress. And this lack of key details is sort of disappointing, because such information could probably benefit those of us who would like to convert our years of childhood sitcom viewing into some form of stardom-generating talent. More importantly, though, it would help dispel what seems to be the message here: that slacking did a Rachel good.

We sought out other versions of the McAdams factoid in other Internet corners, and didn’t find any additional info that filled in the blanks about how playing hooky took McAdams to Hollywood. Only this sentence hints at any sort of connection: “Rachel, 32, claimed watching TV in her youth gave her some of the experience she needed when she was filming her role as TV producer Becky Fuller in ‘Morning Glory.'” So … all of us born after 1945 should be pretty well-prepared to play television producers in any and all upcoming big-budget films! We have had lots of training in front of our sets.

It’s doubtful that the gossip websites reporting this news would actually say that kids should skip school and veg out to win at life. But based on what’s presented, it is somewhat implied. Meantime, it would help to know how McAdams’ TV-viewing style—and which programs she watched—helped her hone her craft. You know, for those of us seeking out new careers.