Ryan Gosling Refused to Work with Rachel McAdams: The Notebook Director Reveals

IN PHOTO: Director Ryan Gosling poses on the red carpet as he arrives for the screening of the film "Lost River" in competition for the category "Un Certain Regard" at the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 20, 2014. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

The director of "The Notebook," one of the most iconic romantic comedies ever came on-screen, revealed some of the inside stories on the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of the release of the movie.

Nick Cassavetes handpicked Ryan Gosling for the role of Noah. It was Rachel McAdams, a newcomer those days, was selected through an audition to play the romantic interest of Gosling. Cassavetes said that New Line Cinema thought he was out of his mind when he expressed his desire to cast Gosling for the lead. He said that not every studio would have the courage the cast two "unknown" actors for such a movie. However, the actors turned out to be "terrific," Cassavetes said.

The director has, however, revealed that the lead actors of the movie did not get along well with each other. There was a big feud one day. Ryan asked his director to move McAdams out of the set and use another actress to read off camera with him. There were about 150 people who witnessed this incident. Gosling said that he was not able to act along with McAdams. "I'm just not getting anything from this," he said. However, things started getting smoother after that.

"The Notebook" eventually became a huge success, and Facebook played a major role in it. It suffered initially due to mediocre reviews. Michael Moore's political documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" too released at the same time and damaged the box office of the romantic comedy. However, the movie became widely popular on Facebook which had just been founded. The word of mouth publicity gradually helped the movie. It eventually collected $115,603,229 at the box office.

Memorable Quotes from "The Notebook"

Noah: I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.
Duke: That's my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that's where my home is.
Young Allie: Now, say you're a bird. Young Noah: If you're a bird, I'm a bird.