Twenty years ago, the team behind The Notebook had no idea it would become a beloved romantic film that fans wouldn’t soon forget. Based on Nicholas Sparks’ debut 1996 novel of the same name, Nick Cassavetes’ feature centers on an elderly man (James Garner) in a nursing home reading a story to an Alzheimer’s patient (Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes’ mom) about a couple in the 1940s — Noah and Allie, played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams — who fall in love despite class differences.
New Line was open to casting less-established leads, making an early-career Gosling the easy choice. Finding his female counterpart was tougher, and producers agreed to read McAdams, perhaps best known for the Rob Schneider comedy The Hot Chick. Other on-the-rise actresses were in the mix, including one pop star, Britney Spears. “It was down to Britney and Rachel, and it was really tough because Britney was terrific,” casting director Matthew Barry tells THR. Barry also recalls Bradley Cooper reading for the role of Allie’s rival suitor that went to James Marsden, but he quips, “Here were my notes on Bradley Cooper: ‘B-O-R-I-N-G.’ ”
After a rocky first day on set for McAdams, Barry remembers Cassavetes suggesting that they consider backup actresses. “They just had different ways of working,” says producer Mark Johnson of the leads, who eventually meshed. New Line released The Notebook on June 25, 2004, and it collected $117 million globally ($190 million today), with former studio boss Toby Emmerich calling it “the little engine that could.”
THR’s review deemed the movie a “puddle of mush” and noted a “fundamental lack of chemistry” between Gosling and McAdams. But viewers, particularly younger female ones, relished their bond — and were heartsick when the stars ended their real-life romance in 2007 after two years. The movie remains a cultural touchstone, with a stage musical currently in previews on Broadway. Says Johnson of the story’s enduring appeal, “Who wouldn’t want somebody to love you that much?”
This story first appeared in the Feb. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.