Rachel McAdams’ Top Secret ‘Doctor Strange’ Role Has Been Revealed

Ever since Rachel McAdams announced she would be joining the cast of Marvel’s Doctor Strange, the exact nature of her role has remained shrouded in mystery. Now, thanks to Marvel president Kevin Feige, McAdams’ character has been revealed.

While he was careful not to divulge any juicy spoilers, Feige did provide enough insight onto Rachel’s character to satisfy Doctor Strange fans, at least for the time being.

Marvel Spills The Beans On Rachel McAdams’ Doctor Strange Role

The details emerging about Ms. McAdams’ character reveals that she’s very deeply connected to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Mr. Feige revealed that Rachel will play a surgeon who works with Strange in the present, but she’s also a prominent figure from his past. As such, the character will keep Stephen Strange grounded and connected to his old life.

“She is someone he connects with at the beginning, and reconnects with, and helps anchor his humanity,” said the Marvel president.

Executive producer Stephen Broussard has expanded on what Mr. Feige has revealed, reinforcing the idea that McAdams’ character figures prominently in Strange’s life before and after he is compelled to take this wild journey. Broussard adds that Rachel “provides an audience point of view”.

Not one to be left out, Benedict Cumberbatch suggested that Rachel McAdams’ character might be more to Doctor Strange than just a colleague.

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say what the interest is. But if I hit on her more than the Ancient One, put it like that.”

Tilda Swinton has been cast as the Ancient One.

For Rachel McAdams’ part, she says everyone involved in the project really left her feeling eager to join Doctor Strange. From the moment she met with director Scott Derrickson, Rachel found his vision and passion contagious and the actress adds that getting to work with Mr. Cumberbatch was an added advantage.

“And Marvel makes amazing films, so it was a complete package.”

While Feige has played up McAdams’ role as being a very big part in the movie, he wants to reassure fans that the film would still follow Doctor Strange. It is, after all, his movie.

Spotlight Star Rachel McAdams Says Playing Journalist Sacha Pfeiffer Taught Her To Listen

Spotlight tells the true story of Boston Globe journalist Sacha Pfeiffer and her investigation into rumors of child molestation in the local Catholic archdiocese in 2001. The real Sacha Pfeiffer conducted dozens of interviews with the victims of pedophile priests serving in Boston Catholic churches as a part of an investigation for the Globe’s “Spotlight” section. While the details were sensitive and difficult for victims to share, it was important to gain as much exact details as possible in order to combat the Church.

While Pfeiffer was dealing with real victims, Ms. McAdams had the benefit of knowing that she was only dealing with actors. Still, Rachel found the scenes compelling.

“The great thing about acting is you have a great scene partner, and that’s what they were. You just want to listen.”

In a joint interview, Rachel asked Sacha if she felt the same way about finding herself too enthralled to not want to listen. Pfeiffer responded that, while she was there to listen, the experience was somewhat different. For her, there were specific incidents and details that she needed to draw from the victims, because the ultimate goal was to ensure the offending priests could be prosecuted.

“Because I was a woman, I think it was easier for some of those adult men to talk about things that were incredibly embarrassing — sometimes humiliating — for them,” Ms. Pfeiffer told McAdams.

Spotlight premiered in theaters on November 25, 2015.

Doctor Strange is scheduled for an October 26 release.

[Featured image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]