Director Sam Raimi has expressed regret over underutilizing Rachel McAdams in his 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, prompting him to cast her in a lead role in his new comedy thriller Send Help. In interviews, Raimi praised McAdams' talent and warmth, noting her surprise turn as a villain in the story of office rivals stranded on an island. The film is currently performing strongly at the box office.
Sam Raimi, known for directing the Spider-Man trilogy and recent Marvel entries, recently spoke to Total Film about his experience working with Rachel McAdams on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), where she portrayed Dr. Christine Palmer. Raimi described her as 'underutilized' in that MCU sequel, stating, 'I had a chance to work with her on my last film and saw how talented she was and actually underutilized, and I promised myself that I would work with her again.'
This promise materialized in his latest project, Send Help, a comedy thriller produced by Disney and 20th Century Studios. In the film, McAdams plays Linda, an undervalued employee whose toxic dynamic with her younger, overbearing boss Bradley (played by Dylan O'Brien) flips when they survive a plane crash and end up stranded on a remote island. Their office grievances escalate into a violent struggle for survival, with Linda unexpectedly transforming into a dark villain—a role Raimi highlighted as novel for the actress.
'First, she was the perfect person because she’s such a brilliant actress... And then this film came up, and her warmth is wonderful,' Raimi said. He added, crediting producer Zainab Azizi, 'The fact that she has not really played a dark, terrible villain before... really sets the audience up to be surprised.' The director emphasized the film's focus on unpredictability: 'Because the movie’s focus is not a whodunnit, but what comes next... It turns left when they think it’s gonna turn right, that was an important factor, that she, this good person that we know and love, becomes this terrible villain.'
Send Help, also starring Dennis Haysbert, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, and Thaneth Warakulnukroh, is now in theaters nationwide. It is on track to top the box office in its second weekend, despite competition from Super Bowl XL.
