Rachel McAdams Has the Funniest Story About Wedding Crashers

Let’s just get this out of the way: Southpaw is not for the faint of heart. It’s violent, it’s intense, and it’s extremely emotional. But it’s an incredible movie and stars a riveting Jake Gyllenhaal as the reigning light heavyweight boxing champion of the world and Rachel McAdams as his loving wife and the family’s voice of reason. The movie—which is sure to be an Oscar contender—opens in theaters tomorrow, so we sat down with the stunning McAdams to talk about her role, her surprising history with Gyllenhaal, and the (can you believe it?) 10th anniversary of Wedding Crashers.

Glamour: Hard to believe it’s been over three years since I last sat down with you for The Vow. I can only hope that your and Channing Tatum’s characters are now together, happily married, and with a family.

Rachel McAdams: Ha! They’re still in Toronto or Chicago! [Laughs]

__Glamour: Your look in Southpaw is very reminiscent of ’80s New Jersey glam. What was that like getting ready each day?

Rachel__: She was fun! A little bit of a bling goes a long way. It was a bit of a mission to jack the boobs up a little, you know? [Laughs] It didn’t come super easily, so we had lots of tape and different things to get them in place and make sure they stayed there!

Glamour: Being a child of the ’80s and ’90s, what makeup trends were you obsessed with?

Rachel: I was a figure skater, so I certainly wasn’t new to going a little over the top. I had sparkles on the cheeks and blue eyeshadow up to the eyebrows!

Glamour: I was talking to Jake yesterday, and he spoke about how intense it was to make this film. Was he able to let loose between takes?

Rachel: We actually had a lot of fun together. It was absolutely intense, but kind of in the best way. It was intense in terms of the scene and having as many truthful moments as we could, but yeah, we ate lunch together almost every day and didn’t always talk about the movie. It was certainly intense, but a lot of fun too. Jake is too hard on himself. He’s very funny and very witty and can be very light and light on his feet. We would talk about [how] it’s not about the final product, but about the experience you have making the film. It’s important to both of us that that is enjoyable because that is your life.

Glamour: Had you met Jake before filming began on Southpaw?

Rachel: We had met a couple of years ago in the U.K. I think, just paths crossing randomly, and then we kind of kept in touch over the years. We presented at the Oscars, which I forget about! It was a couple of years ago. I’ve seen the pictures, and we look like little kids! He was so sweet. He was like, “Can we practice backstage walking? Your dress is really big, and I’m really afraid of stepping on it. I don’t want to step on it. Let’s go practice.” It was really sweet, and I remember being backstage at the Oscars walking back and forth and back and forth and then I tripped when we finally did it!

Glamour: No way!

Rachel: He was like Rico Suave, and here I tripped! He was very cute about it.

Glamour: The character of Maureen in Southpaw comes from nothing and then experiences this very different, lavish lifestyle. Were there any similarities you could draw upon for the role?

Rachel: I think there’s a certain amount of gratitude that I share with Maureen. Kind of the gift you get from your childhood. I had a really great childhood, and hers was not so great, but she doesn’t want to lose touch with it, and I feel the same way about mine. It’s the touchstone, and it does offer a certain kind of perspective in this crazy adult world we’re now in. I think we had different experiences, but the need to constantly check back and check in is there.

Glamour: Speaking of checking yourself, I don’t often get starstruck, but I ran into Peyton Manning on the elevator just now and freaked out. The kid in me wanted to say to him, “Do you know who you are?!”

Rachel: That’s hilarious! I met Jared Leto the other night and didn’t recognize him. I met him very randomly at a U2 concert, and he has green hair for [Suicide Squad], and I was such a loser and didn’t know who it was, and then later I was like, “Oh my God, if my 14-year-old self was standing right there shaking Jordan Catalano’s hand, I would have…” I was already being super uncool, but I would have been a puddle on the ground!

Glamour: Speaking of nostalgia, this month is the 10th anniversary of Wedding Crashers.

Rachel: Is it really?

Glamour: Yes, July 15, 2005.

Rachel: Really?! Wow, I thought it had been even longer.

Glamour: Is there any memory that stands out to you from that time?

Rachel: I remember Vince Vaughn invited the whole cast to a barbecue at his place on the Chesapeake Bay, and we were having the time of our lives. He had Jet-Skis, and he came over with a friend to get us and water taxi us all on jet-skis over to his place, and just seeing Christopher Walken holding on to Vince Vaughn on a Jet-Ski is maybe one of the greatest images I’ve ever seen in my entire life. That was very cute!