Ryan Gosling’s The Notebook is one of the cult classic romance movies of all time. Based on Nicholas Spark’s best-selling novel of the same name, the Nick Cassavetes-directed movie made a total of $115.6 million worldwide. But again, what felt like perfect chemistry on-screen, turned out to be an absolute disaster on set.
Years later, Ryan Gosling, who played Noah opposite Rachel McAdams’ Allison Calhoun, credited Adams for making the movie work. Being his first romantic movie, Gosling couldn’t relate to the genre, and it took a lot for the director to convince the Drive actor to opt for this genre, that paved way for hits like Crazy Stupid Love and La La Land.
Ryan Gosling Was Meant For Intense Genres
After playing a neo-Nazi in Believer, and starring in psychological thrillers like Murder By Numbers, it became a bit difficult to imagine Ryan Gosling in a lover boy’s character. This was something even the actor himself felt. During an interview related to his first romantic drama, The Notebook, Gosling revealed:
“It was something that was really a stretch for me and I was telling Nick [Cassavetes] that I was really the wrong guy for the movie. And he didn’t seem to think so, and he had a lot of convincing arguments. I said okay.”
He continued,
“I’m just not like a romantic lead, and I’ve never really done that kind of thing. The whole thing just felt completely like I was the wrong guy for it, but Nick explained to me.”
After The United States of Leland, fans were more than convinced that he was meant for only intense movies. But then, the actor thought of giving the movie a conditional chance, stating that it was Allie’s character that drove the entire movie, and it all “kind of depended on an actress.”
It was Rachel McAdams who convinced Gosling to pick up the genre. Little did the H-town know that Gosling’s iconic line, “If I’m a bird, you’re a bird,” would define him as one of the most romantic actors out there. The movie became a sleeper hit, attracting a cult following.
The Irony Of Ryan Gosling And Rachel McAdams’ Life
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams‘s The Notebook garnered a cult following, courtesy of their on-screen chemistry. Ironically, the two could never get along on the set of The Notebook. Even though the actors dated briefly after the movie’s premiere, their on-set relationship was absolute chaos.
During a previous interview, the movie’s director, Nick Cassavetes revealed that things got so worse on-set that Gosling asked Adams to leave. Not only this, but he forced the director in front of 150 crew members to fire Rachel McAdams, citing all sorts of reasons. It was the director himself who got the actors to talk about their feelings and make it work.
The irony of this throwback story doesn’t end here. The Big Short actor dated the Canadian actress from 2005 to 2007 despite their on-set feud. In an interview, Gosling hailed The Notebook for introducing him to “one of the great loves of his life”, proudly admitting that their romance was much more romantic than the movie. All this was a win-win for Nick Cassavetes and The Notebook team.
The Notebook is streaming on Netflix.
Source: ShowbizCheatSheet
