'About Time' Director Extols McAdams a 'Genius'

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Throughout the many romantic roles she's undertaken in her acting career, Rachel McAdams has never seemed to lose her luster for rendering poignant performances. The director of her latest romantic film, About Time, boldly praised her as genius in her own right.

Richard Curtis has directed a handful of successful romantic comedies, including Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually, and Notting Hill, so he has a good barometer of effective acting. McAdams' in About Time is masterful, he says.


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"I was very keen in this movie...to have someone who could take you from the first date in a movie to being a mother of three. There was...a kind of wisdom and sweetness about her," Curtis lauded. "She is a genius, actually. ... I don't know that I've ever worked with anyone who I thought was more emotionally accurate in every scene."

As rare as it is for someone to be sincerely labeled a genius, it appears there is some consensus to McAdams' brilliant acting ability. In our interview with her co-star Bill Nighy, flattery once again took the form of the six-letter word reserved for the elite.

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"I think she's probably perfect for any role. ... It's a cliché: She's touched by genius," praised Nighy, who plays the father of McAdams' love interest. "...She does what Richard Curtis calls '360-degree acting.' In other words...there's no holes in it."

While she's ventured outside of the genre in films like Mean Girls and Sherlock Holmes, McAdams is predominantly known for her romantic roles, in particular in the cherished romantic drama The Notebook, a film that bolstered both her and Ryan Gosling's careers.

In her own words, the Canadian actress says her penchant for romantic roles lies in her preference for films that center upon love.


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"I love films with love in them; I'm always drawn to those movies. They definitely speak to me. I would prefer there was a love story. It doesn't have to be romantic, necessarily, but love of some thing in a film. I just find those more life-affirming," Adams revealed. "...That's my preference, so I guess that makes me a romantic."

Watch the video for more from McAdams and the cast of her upcoming film About Time, which is in theaters November 8.