Rachel McAdams gets competitive on Game Night

Rachel McAdams teams up with Jason Bateman for Game Night, where they play Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), arranges a murder mystery party.

So, when Brooks gets kidnapped, it is all part of the game, right?

What drew you to Game Night?

I love doing comedy and physical comedy because they are challenging.

I also loved the opportunity to work with Jason Bateman again.

I've always admired him as both a dramatic and comedic actor.

Ten years ago, we worked together for one day on the dramatic film State Of Play, which is very different from Game Night.

So, this was a great opportunity to team up with him again in an entirely different way.

I really liked the directors' vision, which was to mix thriller with comedy.

That was a unique and smart approach.

You and Jason play husband and wife, and you have great chemistry. Was that evident ?

Sometimes, on-screen pairings are just the luck of the draw.

But we had already connected as actors years ago. Jason's such a supportive actor and gives you a lot to work with.

He was also a producer on Game Night, so he was very invested in it being as strong as it could be.

Are you competitive, like Annie is, in Game Night?

I think it depends on the game.

My parents bought us board games every Christmas; we were a big gaming family.

My siblings and I came back to it as young adults. I would say I am competitive with them.

But I also know that feeling of being at someone's game night for the first time and just wanting the world to swallow you up; you don't want any attention.

So I can be shy too.

It depends on the game and who I am playing with. If it is with people new to me, then I try to tone down my competitiveness.

Was there a particularly fun moment for you on set?

We kicked off production with a cast game night.

Billy Magnussen (who plays Ryan in the movie) is an amazing cook, and he made dinner for everyone at his apartment, and we all played raunchy board games.

We played the game Clue, which is not raunchy, and Joking Hazard, which is kind of like Apples to Apples meets Cards Against Humanity.

Joking Hazard is a dark board game and not for the faint of heart, but it was a great icebreaker for us.

We're a really "method" ensemble, and it was a nice way to bond. It was just a great night.

Was it so "method" that it became cutthroat, like in the movie?

No, we were all polite and respectful of one another (laughs).