Rachel McAdams

I once made a (it was supposed to be a 30-minute) bean salad that took me like 6 hours

[asked if she ever had any summer traditions when growing up] My family rented a cottage in Canada. They’d blare “Wake Up Little Susie” at seven in the morning throughout the entire campground. Everyone would roll over to the lodge and have sticky buns for breakfast, and then we’d jump on the trampoline all day long.

You know, I have some issues. But I just love to play different characters all the time, and I try not to repeat myself too much.

Yeah. I still live in Canada, so it’s not quite the same. And when I’m in L.A., I’m in a car; you don’t have the contact with the public. It’s not so bad. It’s still pretty much the same. I still feel pretty normal-ish.

I’ve discovered as I’ve grown up that life is far more complicated than you think it is when you’re a kid. It isn’t just a straightforward fairytale.

The craziest thing I’ve ever done to get a guy’s attention? I admit I stalked someone. I showed up at a restaurant where I knew the guy worked, and we were actually good friends and had lost touch, and I pretended that I didn’t know he worked there. And then ran into him and, “Oh my God, you work here? I had no idea.” It’s the most manipulative thing I’ve done in my entire life, but it all worked out very well, so I have no regrets.

Does anyone remember laughter?

I was thinking about why I make movies, and I know why. Life is hard. It’s nice to go escape and have a good time at the movies. If I can give people a movie about hope, love and the future, then I’ve done my job.

I’ve just been so lucky, but also I’m acutely aware that I’m only a brushstroke in the whole piece.

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.

I didn’t get on TV until I was 30, which is really fortunate because you are who you are at that point.

I don’t think there’s any way it could have failed. We don’t know failure in this band. We didn’t know failure. We got to know it a little after awhile but at that time there was no such word.

I love funky styles. Not preppy or rock, just funky!

I have no talent except for being able to enjoy and recognize it in others.

The first time I saw Led Zeppelin, Bonzo (John Bonham) just walked on the stage and just warmed up for about 10 seconds. Freddie (Freddie Mercury) and I nearly fell over we just couldn’t believe the power and the sound. People are still today trying to imitate Led Zeppelin, America is full of drummers trying to play like John Bonham.

People seem to think that if you didn’t do the same things you did 25 years ago, then, you know, then things have changed. But we’re not doing anything really any different. You know, we go out, we have a good time. Everybody has always had relationships all around the road.

Don’t waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you’re the boss. Or they won’t. Who cares? Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.

I am now determined to do really weird parts but I think I overdo it in auditions so nobody really trusts me!

The fans are just as crazy. because we have the young fans and the old fans now, so it’s more like double-trouble for us.

They made me use an accent, which I wasn’t thrilled about because a lot of us, obviously, don’t have them.

The mind is an erogenous zone.