50 interesting facts about Rachel McAdams: Practices kundalini yoga daily, is a talented figure skater

Rachel McAdams is a beautiful Canadian actress best known for her roles in The Notebook, Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes and The Vow.

1. Rachel Anne McAdams was born in London, Ontario (Canada) on November 17, 1978.

2. Her father, Lance, is a truck driver, and her mother, Sandra, is a nurse. She has a younger brother, Daniel, and a younger sister, Kayleen.

3. She began figure skating at the age of four and competed in the sport all the way through high school, earning regional honors.

4. She got her initial role as April O'Neal of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a school play.

5. At 10 years old, Rachel also became involved with the Original Kids Theatre Company in London, appearing in productions of Shakespeare and other classics. She won her first acting award in 1995 when a high school play "I Live In A Little Town" was featured in the Ontario Showcase of the Sears Drama Festival.

6. She worked at one of McDonalds' stores for three summers.

7. She made her first onscreen performance in "The Famous Jett Jackson" (Disney, 1998-2002) as Hannah, the bulimic older sister of one of the main characters.

8. She joined David Rothenberg's on-camera acting class in Toronto, Canada with fellow stars Scott Speedman, Kenneth Mitchell, Polly Shannon, and David Sutcliffe.

9. She graduated with a theatre degree from York University in Canada.

10. Rachel went on to star in several movies-of-the-week, before making her feature debut with a co-starring role in "My Name is Tanino" (2001), a comedy helmed by Italian director Paolo Virzi, about a young, carefree Italian (Corrado Fortuna) who chases an American tourist (McAdams) to America after a romantic liaison in his hometown.

11. In 2002, she was cast in a starring role in "The Hot Chick" (2002), a teen comedy about a mean-spirited high school girl - popular captain of the cheerleading squad and dating the quarterback - who gets a heavy comeuppance when she wakes up to find herself trapped in the body of a 30-something man (Rob Schneider).

12. In 2004, she starred as a believable mean-spirited high schooler in "Mean Girls" (2004), a surprisingly well-written (by Tina Fey) critical and box office hit starring Lindsay Lohan.

13. Rachel had to wear a wig while filming Mean Girls.

14. Rachel also wore a fat suit for the scenes where she gains weight and can't fit into her prom gown.

15. McAdams originally auditioned for the role of Cady in Mean Girls and Lindsay Lohan was after the role of Regina George. However, the director thought that both actresses were better suited for the other's role.

16. Amy Poehler is only seven years older than Rachel McAdams, who plays her daughter in the film. McAdams was eight years older than Lindsay Lohan, who was the only "mean girl" young enough to actually be in school.

17. Mean Girls was shot in Canada, Rachel's birth country, despite the fact the movie was set in Evanston, Illinois.

18. That same year, she became a household name after starring in "The Notebook", a star-crossed period romance between a spunky Southern debutante and a poor but charming small town man (Ryan Gosling).

19. If Rachel hadn't landed the role of Allie in The Notebook, actresses next in line were Ashley Judd, Reese Witherspoon and even singer Britney Spears.

20. Much to the delight of romantics everywhere, she and co-star Gosling paired up in real-life, enjoying a promising future as one of young Hollywood's hippest and most private young couples until their breakup in 2007.

21. Rachel was born at the same hospital as The Notebook co-star (and ex-boyfriend) Ryan Gosling - St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario.

22. In Red Eye in 2005, there is a scene where Cillian Murphy throws Rachel McAdams in the plane bathroom. When filming the scene, Murphy missed the spot where he was supposed to throw McAdams, hitting her head and knocking her unconscious for half an hour. In the take used in the film, Murphy's hand can be seen holding the back of McAdams' head to guard it from it hitting again.

23. In 2006, McAdams took part in the "Day Without Immigrants" demonstration in Los Angeles, protesting against the federal government's attempts to further criminalize illegal aliens living in the United States.

24. McAdams was slated to play Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, but was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

25. She is a vegetarian.

26. Rachel was almost a Bond girl! She was in consideration for the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, but the part ended up going to Eva Green.

27. Was initially signed to play the female lead in "The Last Kiss" (2006), but later had to drop the role due to scheduling conflicts and got replaced by Jacinda Barrett.

28. Rachel is allergic to horses.

29. McAdams withdrew from the public eye from 2006 to 2007. During this time, she turned down leading roles in high-profile films such as The Devil Wears Prada which went to Anne Hathaway.

30. In an interview with ET, Channing Tatum revealed that during a scene in The Vow (2010) where he walks naked in front of Rachel McAdams, he wore a prosthetic penis that was hugely oversized to elicit a reaction from the actress. This was the scene used in the final cut.

31. Rachel turned down the role of Pepper Potts in Iron Man and so Gwyneth Paltrow stepped in. McAdams later got to act alongside Robert Downey Jr. anyhow in Sherlock Holmes and the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

32. While filming Sherlock Holmes, Rachel would intentionally push out her tummy and eat a large breakfast in order to escape having to wear a corset.

33. In Sherlock Holmes, Rachel McAdams did most of her own stunts.

34. She is : 5′ 5″ (1.65 m).

35. She has changed her hair color so many times for movie roles but her real hair color is blonde.

36. In About Time (2013), Zooey Deschanel was originally supposed to play Mary, but when she dropped out, Rachel McAdams was cast.

37. Rachel is very into being as a green as possibly and likes to ride her bike whenever possible, to cut "daily contribution to help conserve energy".

38. McAdams launched Green is Sexy in 2007, an Earth-conscious website that offers environmental tips. According to a post by McAdams on her website, she's making an effort to lighten her footprint on the earth-supporting tree planting organizations, switching her house to green power and developing "an OCD for unplugging anything with a plug."

39. Rachel has vowed that she will never pose nude for print or film.

40. In fact, she politely opted out of a cover shoot for Vanity Fair magazine's March 2006 'Hollywood' issue, in which she was to appear with Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley, when discovered it was a nude pose.

41. Scored a record for receiving five nominations of MTV Movie Award in a single year.

42. In 2009, the actress briefly dated American actor Josh Lucas, the ex-beau of actress Salma Hayek.

43. She likes shopping at Vintage clothing stores.

44. Her favorite color is purple.

45. She began dating Michael Sheen in July 2010 who was her co-star in Midnight in Paris.

46. She loves cooking, though she has admitted, "I'm not an amazing cook, but I can follow a recipe," and "I wouldn't mind running a restaurant."

47. She loves kundalini yoga and practices it daily.

48. Rachel currently lives in Toronto, Canada, where she shares a home with her brother.

49. In 2013, she filmed two promotional videos for the Food & Water First Movement, aiming to preserve prime farmland and source water in Ontario, Canada.

50. If she were not an actress, she said she would love to open and manage her own restaurant.