10 Movies You Won't Believe Were Released 1 Year Apart

Mean Girls is the quintessential teen comedy of the early 2000s. Starring Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Tim Meadows, this film has gone on to become a cult classic with positive praise from critics and audiences alike.

Rachel McAdams was praised as a standout performer in the film. Critics lauded her performance as the 'queen bee' Regina George, and many of the parodies and memes that Mean Girls has inspired over the years have come from scenes involving McAdams’ character.

The funny thing about this is that McAdams was actually 24 when they starting filming, and 26 when production had finished, yet she was able to portray a snarky, spoiled teenager in a very believable manner. As a result, film-goers were wholly convinced they were watching a teenage drama, never thinking to question the age of the actors because their portrayal was perfect.

After Mean Girls, McAdams took on a role that was more mature than Regina George, that of Lisa Reisert in Wes Craven’s thriller, Red Eye.

In this film, she plays a woman who is witness to a terrorist plot, and yet again her portrayal is perfect despite playing a teenager beforehand. Seeing these the roles in contrast is very jarring, but with the possibility that these films were made at around the same time speaks volumes to McAdams' acting ability, and her dedication to the characters that she portrays.