It is hard to believe that The Notebook has turned twenty this year; the film inspired us all to believe in the power of true love and a passionate embrace in the rain. Helmed by Nick Cassavetes, it was released in 2004 and was based on the same-titled novel by Nicholas Sparks, a prolific author of romance and drama books.
The Notebook is about a young couple named Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling). They fell in love in the 1940s, but obstacles like their families and social statuses stand in the way of their relationship. Because of the unbreakable bond between Noah and Allie, we fully expect our romantic partners to swing from the top of Ferris wheels in order to deserve our attention.
However, there have been whispers that things between the lead actors were different behind the scenes.
The Enduring Chemistry of Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling in The Notebook
It seems like only yesterday that the film, which is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, was released. Allie and Noah, who come from different social backgrounds, are the key characters of the story.
Allie hails from a narrow-minded family that prioritizes prestige over contentment. Noah is an ardent poet who pursues his own goals in life rather than aiming to win over others. So, why is the film still a hot topic among fans?
Fortunately, the actors who portrayed Allie and Noah also fell in love with each other in real life (see PEOPLE). As it happens, their on-screen romance is quite similar to the one between the characters they played.
For the uninitiated, the romantic partnership between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams lasted from 2005 to 2007. The Barbie star acknowledged in a GQ interview that his romance with My Name Is Tanino actress was far more passionate than in The Notebook.
People do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie. Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that.
But hold on to your Ferris wheels, because it turns out that Gosling and McAdams’ real-life romance was even more swoon-worthy than their on-screen love story.
The Untold Story of Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling’s Initial Disdain
Ryan Gosling once revealed that Rachel McAdams wasn’t exactly head over heels for him when they first met on the set of The Notebook. In fact, it was like they were playing a real-life game of hard-to-get, only to end up falling madly in love.
Gosling, 43, jokingly recalled in a chat with ET:
I was like, ‘Hey Rachel, we should go out. She’s like, ‘Don’t you know girls like me only fall for guys like you in movies…Yeah, I’m not even attracted towards you. Take off’.
Director Nick Cassavetes even spilled the beans on how Gosling wanted McAdams replaced during a particularly tense day on set. The former recalled the experience in an interview with VH1:
They were really not getting along one day on set. Really not. And Ryan came to me, and there are 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, ‘Nick come here.’ And he’s doing a scene with Rachel and he says, ‘Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?’
In a recent interview, the 65-year-old director regretted ever talking about the relationship between the film’s lead actors, even though the romantic comedy marks its 20th anniversary on June 25. Cassavetes told Entertainment Weekly:
It caught me on a bad day, but if [McAdams and Gosling] are around, I apologize to you guys. I shouldn’t have spilled the beans.
Both actors are currently leading happy romantic lives with their respective partners. With actress Eva Mendes, Gosling is currently the parent of two beautiful girls. McAdams also has 2 kids with her longtime partner, Jamie Linden.
Anyway, The Notebook made us learn that sometimes, love is just like rowing a boat in the rain—messy, unexpected, and absolutely beautiful.
Stream The Notebook on Netflix.
