Britney Spears, one of the breakout pop stars in the 1990s, almost saw her be cast as the lead role in The Notebook alongside Ryan Gosling. Seeing the success of Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton, it’s hard to see anyone else take on her part.
Starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, The Notebook follows the story of mill worker, Noah, and a rich girl, Allie, fall in love with each other, in 1940s South Carolina. Despite the two being head over heels for each, Allie’s parents don’t approve of their young love.
However, their relationship ends up falling apart and Noah leaves to serve in World War II. Eventually, Allie meets someone else and is set to get married, but the pair unexpectedly bump into each other years later. Their love story blossoms again.
Seeing the success of The Notebook, the director revealed the role of Allison Hamilton was almost played by someone else – none other than Britney Spears.
The Notebook’s lead role could have been Britney Spears
According to the casting director Matthew Barry, he had a tough time deciding between Britney and Rachel, who were, and still are, two well-beloved celebrities in the Hollywood industry.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Adams ultimately got the part as she “aced her audition” despite its tough competition.
“They loved Britney,” Barry said. “It was probably between Rachel and Britney at the time.”
“We found Rachel through an audition process and she was wonderful. A lot of studios wouldn’t have had the courage to put two relatively unknown people in a movie like this. But they did and, gosh, weren’t they terrific,” Director Nick Cassavetes later told VH1.
Other actresses considered for the role were Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Biel, Jane McGregor, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kate Beckinsale.
The Notebook’s success proved ‘love conquers all’
The Notebook quickly became one of the most popular romantic films of its era – and is still is, until this day, a favorite of many.
Despite its $29 million budget, the movie racked in more than $100 million worldwide. It was a huge success at the box office. Now, considered a classic, it was the beginning of more realistic relationships on screen.
Ryan and Rachel also found love off-screen and were together from 2005 to 2007. However, the two went their separate ways and found their own ‘happy ever after’ with their respective partners.
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