Canadian actress Rachel McAdams has proven herself to be a strong performer in many genres, and one of her first leading roles was in the hilarious, lesser-known sitcom Rachel McAdams’ best movies. However, before she shot to fame, she made her start in smaller projects like Perfect Pie and My Name Is Tanino.

Her performance as Kate McNab in Slings & Arrows season 1 was what really helped her career, however, which earned her a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured ing Role in a Dramatic Series in the episode "A Mirror up to Nature." While Slings & Arrows wasn’t exactly one of the best sitcoms of all time, it was an unappreciated gem, and many have only just discovered it for the first time.

Slings & Arrows Centers On A Fictional Canadian Shakespeare Festival

The Sitcom Delves Into The Stresses Of Putting On A Theater Production

Slings & Arrows focused on the fictional New Burbage Theatre Festival and those putting on a new Shakespearean production. While there have been several awesome movies based on Shakespeare’s works, there haven’t been as many TV shows, especially not about putting on one of his plays, which made Slings & Arrows unique. Each season of Slings & Arrows followed the production of a brand-new play, but Rachel McAdams’ season involved a performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Slings & Arrows ran for 3 seasons from 2003 to 2006, but it was widely considered that the first installment was the best of the bunch for several reasons, partially because of McAdams. While it was a shame McAdams only appeared in Slings & Arrows season 1, she made quite the impression anyway. Kate was only an apprentice actress, but she immediately proved herself to be an intriguing character. She didn’t hesitate to ask artistic director Oliver Welles about his notes, and her romance storyline with Jack was also endearing.

How Rachel McAdams' Slings & Arrows Performance Informs Her Most Famous Roles

The Actress' Early Work Affected Her Later Projects

McAdams starred in multiple iconic titles, but her movie roles were always particularly notable. In several ways, portraying Kate in Slings & Arrows impacted McAdams’ later performances and prepared her to work with titans of industry, such as Sarah Jessica Parker in the underrated Christmas movie The Family Stone. Deep down, Kate knew she was just an understudy and that she hadn’t truly been cast, which weighed heavily on her. However, weirdly, Kate’s self-centered reaction to Oliver’s death highlighted a similarity between her and Regina George in Mean Girls.

Jack and Kate’s romance story is also something that may have echoed in McAdams’ future performances. It was truly heartwarming to witness Kate fall for Jack, even if it took a little while for him to reciprocate, and it reminded me of the various love stories in Rachel McAdams’ time travel movies, to a certain degree.

Other Famous Actors Who Appeared In Slings & Arrows

Rachel McAdams Shared The Spotlight With Other Massive Names

Rachel McAdams wasn’t the only notable name in Slings & Arrows, however. Kate’s love interest, Jack Crew, was portrayed by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Luke Kirby, for example. Comedy titan Mark McKinney, also known as Superstore’s Glenn Sturgis, portrayed Richard Smith-Jones, New Burbage’s business manager, too. Another Superstore alumni also starred in Slings & Arrows, Jennifer Irwin, who played American executive Holly Day and has also appeared in other sitcoms like The Goldbergs.

Colm Feore unfortunately didn’t work alongside Rachel McAdams in Slings & Arrows at the same time, as he didn’t portray the head of advertising agency Frog Hammer, Sanjay, until season 2. Feore’s most notable roles have included Sir Reginald Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy and Laufey in Thor. Another prominent name in Slings & Arrows was Sarah Polley, who portrayed actress Sophie in season 3. Polley rose to fame as the titular character in the children’s show Ramona, but she later made a name for herself directing Away From Her, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.