Fans can sometimes be very extreme when it comes to their favorite star, and Ryan Gosling once experienced the same following his split with actress Rachel McAdams. The former couple first met on the set of the 2004 film The Notebook, which featured them as the romantic leads. However, due to the initial tensions between the two, they did not start dating until 2005.
But, their relationship did not last and the beloved pair broke things off due to their hectic schedule. While Gosling and McAdams moved on with their lives, their decision didn’t sit well with some fans, as the Fall Guy star recalled almost being smacked by a fan for breaking off his relationship.
Ryan Gosling Recalled Fans’ Reaction to His Split With Rachel McAdams
After they started dating in 2005, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were regarded as one of Hollywood’s “it couples.” The actor even went on to describe McAdams as “one of the great loves” of his life. However, their relationship fell victim to their demanding work schedules, prompting them to reportedly split in 2007.
While the former couple does not seem to have any hard feelings toward each other, their split was particularly difficult for fans, who loved them in the romantic drama The Notebook. Gosling encountered such a fan in an interview with GQ, saying,
“Women are mad at me—A girl came up to me on the street and she almost smacked me. Like, How could you? How could you let a girl like that go.”
Gosling further shared that while he was the one who was going through a breakup, he felt like he needed to console the fans, who seemed so sad about their split. “I feel like I want to give people hugs,” he said before adding, “Rachel and I should be the ones getting hugs! Instead, we’re consoling everybody else.”
The actor also attributed the end of their relationship to the demands of their careers, stating that in the world of show business, the spotlight consumes everything. The former couple has since moved on, with Gosling marrying actress Eva Mendes and McAdams has been in a relationship with screenwriter Jamie Linden.
Ryan Gosling And Rachel McAdams Did Not Get Along Initially
While Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams shared remarkable chemistry on-screen and would go on to date each other, the two did not get along initially on the film set. Director Nick Cassavetes reflected on the tension between the two leading stars on the tenth anniversary of the film.
“[T]hey were really not getting along one day on set,” Cassavetes told VH1, as per Vanity Fair. Gosling even requested to replace the Mean Girls star with another actress for their scene together. He recalled,
“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?’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it with her. I’m just not getting anything from this..”
However, Cassavetes intervened, insisting they confront their issues together by forcing them into a room and sort it out together. “The rest of the film wasn’t smooth sailing, but it was smoother sailing,” he shared.
Gosling addressed the claims in an interview with The Guardian, saying, “I don’t know what happened.” He also shared that when he met the Doctor Strange actress two years later in New York, they began to reconsider their feelings towards each other.
The Notebook is available to stream on Max.
