(TC) Rachel McAdams Spills the Tea: Shocking Revelations from the Eurovision Stage!

We interview Eurovision Song Contest star Rachel McAdams about playing off Will Ferrell, how the singing sequences were made, and more.

With Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix now, all eyes are on writer and producer Will Ferrell, who plays the dreamy-eyed Lars hoping to win Eurovision for Iceland. But his hero would be nowhere without longtime friend and singing partner Sigrit, brought to life by Rachel McAdams.

The actress sat down with Screen Rant to discuss her role in the film, ranging from her own lack of experience with the European singing competition to her character’s musical love triangle with Ferrell and Dan Stevens.

This is you reuniting with director David Dobkin and Will Ferrell from Wedding Crashers, but in Wedding Crashers you weren’t able to bounce off him and his signature comic energy. Can you talk to me about playing off of him in this film?

Rachel McAdams: Yeah. I mean, I’m such a fan of his – always have been – and then to find out that he’s just as nice as he is funny. He was just incredibly supportive, and he knows the world of Eurovision so well. His wife is Swedish, so he’s kind of spent many, many, many years watching. I could just sort of pick his brain, and it was just so much fun. So much fun, and I had to work really hard to be professional and not ruin every take.

Eurovision is something I have not been familiar with. This was a first for me. Are you familiar with Eurovision? I mean, I’m sure you are after this film.

Rachel McAdams: Yeah, but I wasn’t [before]. As a Canadian, it’s not broadcast in North America. We’ve really been missing out here, I’ve now realized. No, I went as a research trip with Netflix; we got to go to last year’s Eurovision in Tel Aviv and spent a couple days fully immersed in the experience. So, that was that was my first foray.

If Rachel McAdams was on Eurovision, what would her one song choice be?

Rachel McAdams: Um, oh my gosh. Oh, that’s hard. That’s hard. That’s hard.

I’d probably do like a Whitney Houston ballad.

I’m going Backstreet Boys, “I Want it that Way.” What does Sigrit see in Lars?

Rachel McAdams: I think she sees his pure heart; his dreamer spirit. He never gives up. He doesn’t listen to what other people say, and he walks to the beat of his own drum. He’s just full of passion.

Yeah, I think she loves all of that.

There’s so many songs in this film that are just so dang catchy. Did you ever leave set just humming the song when the day was over, being like, “I wish I could get this out of my head?”

Rachel McAdams: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that happened a lot. And you’d come in in the morning, and we’re all still singing the song.

Did you sing it all in this, or was it all [someone else]?

Rachel McAdams: It was kind of a collaborative effort. David wanted me to take singing lessons and sing all the songs and perform them all. You know, really sing them, so it would definitely look like I was singing. And then he kind of blended my voice with Molly Sandén’s voice, a Swedish singer who’s incredible and can actually hit those fjords notes that are so elusive, which I cannot hit. So, it was kind of a joint effort.

Sigrit also has a bit of a love triangle in this film with Dan Stevens’ character, Lemtov. Can you talk to me about how that plays into the plot?

Rachel McAdams: Yes, so Dan is a is a contestant in Eurovision; a very popular star in Russia, has a very operatic full voice. He’s exuberant and never wears a shirt. And he’s also very passionate in a different way. He sort of sparks onto Sigrit and thinks she would be a great partner for him, but it’s confusing whether it’s about love or music. The lines get a little blurred with him, and then Lars is wildly jealous.

And then comedy ensues.