It may be hard to believe, but it’s been 15 years since The Notebook hit theaters back in 2004. Crazy, right? It’s been a minute, but the romantic film that placed Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as our favorite on-screen couple continues to make us swoon with its romantic drama and memorable one-liners (“Say I’m a bird!” remember?) Based off Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel of the same name, The Notebook is now a blockbuster one can watch over and over again – and it never gets old!
When we think of the Blade runner 2049 actor and the Mean Girls star, we can’t help thinking of the roles that made them a cult-favorite couple, but would it have been the same love story if say Britney Spears or Jessica Biel would have played the lead role of Allie Hamilton? Keep reading to find out some fun facts about one of our favorite love stories.
Ryan took his preparation for playing Noah to the next level
The then 23-year-old actor took his role of Noah Calhoun pretty seriously. Two months ahead of filming the actor moved to Charleston, during which he practiced carpentry by making furniture and even worked with a local cabinet-maker. The dining room table Noah makes Allie was actually made by Ryan.
"We shot a scene where Rachel and I consummate our relationship on a table I made," he told People. "But I couldn't keep it. We used a special wood, and the deal was [the cabinet-maker] got the table. But he doesn't know what happened on it."
Wardrobe malfunction
The memorable scene in which Noah and Allie share a passionate kiss in the rain turned out to be not so good for Rachel’s shoes and wardrobe. “That dress was made for the film, but a lot of the stuff I wore was rented and was actually from the 1940s," she said to Life & Style.
"I think there's a scene in the movie where I'm running in bare feet, and it's only because [after] the first few takes I did, the shoes disintegrated off my feet," she added. Yikes!
Family ties
As it turns out, director, Nick Cassavetes didn’t have to look too far for his mother, Gena Rowlands, plays older Allie in the film. As a matter of fact, the photographs of mature Allie and Noah through the years are actually photos of Gena and her late husband, John Cassavetes with James Garner, who plays mature Noah’s face photoshopped in over John's face.