Rachel McAdams Is Technically Singing in "Eurovision"—But She Had a Bit of Help

From Oprah Magazine

• Rachel McAdams stars as an aspiring Icelandic pop singer in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, opposite Will Ferrell.

• McAdams did sing in the movie, but her vocals were blended with those of another singer.

• The film was originally intended to coincide with the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rachel McAdams turned heads for her portrayal of Sigrit Ericksdóttir, an aspiring Icelandic pop singer, in the comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga alongside Will Ferrell. But while Ferrell's singular voice made it clear he was doing his own vocals, fans were left wondering whether McAdams's real pipes were on display in the film's catchy soundtrack. (Jaja Jaja Ding Dong, anyone?)

In an interview with the AV Club to promote the film, McAdams explained how her performance came together, and that director David Dobkin had an idea that would make her look more natural and authentic in the singing scenes.

"I was singing all the songs, and then David would lift bits of my performance. The bulk of the music was done by a Swedish singer, Molly Sandén. Our voices were quite similar," she explained. "They did some fancy stuff in the studio and pulled it together that way, and then I sing the song that my character is composing."

Despite a lengthy career, McAdams hasn't had to sing in many of her films, save for a memorable rendition of Third Eye Blind in Game Night. McAdams told ScreenRant that if she had to perform in the actual Eurovision competition she would "probably do like a Whitney Houston ballad."

Sandén is a Eurovision veteran, having represented Sweden in the 2006 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, finishing third. She's since released four solo albums, and a number of singles that have gone platinum in her home country.

"When I saw the movie, I got goosebumps,” Sandén told Vanity Fair. “Because it was like, [Rachel was] me.”

McAdams also said that her accent and the performance were inspired by Icelandic pop star Björk, who she studied to prepare.

"I watched everything I possible could of Björk. She has such a delicious, cute voice and she's got such a spirit about her that I thought was similar to Sigrit's," she said.

McAdams' singing caught the attention of fans, who reacted on Twitter, as well as some praising Sandén specifically:

There is a lengthy history in Hollywood of actors working with professional singers in musical numbers, usually to fully dub their vocals. Famous performances like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Natalie Wood in West Side Story, and Rita Moreno in West Side Story all involved dubbing.

McAdams might not have Sandén's powerhouse voice, but she does more than enough to hold her own and bring charm to the role of Sigrit.

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