The Best Time Rachel McAdams Ever Broke Character In Doctor Strange

Crafting a film is a methodical process, requiring lots of skill and precision both behind the camera and in front of it. Rachel McAdams, who has appeared in dozens of movies throughout her illustrious career, probably understands this just as much as anyone else working in the business. Scenes require actors to get into character and film as many takes as is required to get it right. This is especially true of big-budget blockbusters, like Marvel or DC films.

Still, there are some exceptions to this rule to allow for improvised scenes or happy accidents, even in a movie with a massive budget and a planned story arc. One case of this is in the MCU film "Doctor Strange," and it involves a particular scene with Christine Palmer (McAdams) and Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). While the scene wasn't planned, it was such a genuine and fun moment that director Scott Derrickson decided to keep it in the final product.

Per Cheat Sheet, the scene in question includes a broom falling in a storage closet just as Doctor Strange disappears into his portal. Rachel McAdams's character, Christine Palmer, lets out a terrified scream and jumps as the broom hits the ground. As it turns out, this moment was not planned at all, and McAdams's reaction was completely genuine.

Apparently, this was a common occurrence for McAdams on the set. Speaking with Clever Housewife, McAdams said, "I was never quite sure where the startling was coming from, the sounds were coming from. I'm also a total scaredy-cat in real life. So you know it's not a far stretch for me."

The accidental scene is one of the more funny moments in the entire "Doctor Strange" movie, so it's not a huge surprise that it was kept in the film. McAdams brought a sense of realism to the way she reacted to the broom falling, as anyone would be on edge just minutes after finding out their former boyfriend could astrally project and leap through space and time. 

Perhaps there will be a similar fun moment involving McAdams when the character returns for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." We'll just have to wait and see when the film releases in 2022.