‘The Notebook’ Director Turned Down Ryan Gosling’s One Expensive Request While Shooting Their Romantic Movie With Rachel McAdams
Ryan Gosling’s The Notebook is a timeless classic. Based on Nicholas Sparks’ romance novel, The Notebook was adapted into a movie by director Nick Cassavetes in 2004. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams played the main protagonist in the movie- Noah and Allie respectively.
Decades after its release, The Notebook still comes under the list of one of the most widely watched romantic dramas of all time. With a compelling storyline and unparallel chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the movie went on to make $117 million against its $29 million budget.
Why Did The Notebook Director Turn Down Ryan Gosling’s Request?
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel, The Notebook has been one of the best adaptations of a romantic drama in Hollywood. The movie made its audience laugh, root for the characters, and even made everyone cry in the end. During an interview with the media outlet VH1, director Nick Cassavetes spoke about the movie. He even recounted an expensive request made by the protagonist of The Notebook, Ryan Gosling. He spoke about the scene when the character of Noah restores the famous Windsor Plantation, which brings him into the media spotlight and Rachel McAdams’ Allie pays him a visit after years. He recalled-
“[Ryan] wants to talk to you about what he’s gonna do. He wants to go prepare for it, feel it, live it, and explore other options for it.
He further mentioned-
“He’d come to me and say: ‘Why can’t I burn the house down?’ I’d say: ‘Because I don’t even know what that means’. And he’d say: ‘Cleansing my fire’.”
However, Nick Cassavetes did not consider burning down the entire house only to shoot a scene or to just express the emotional side of the character of Noah in the romantic drama. Despite the disagreement, the director and actor duo shared a cordial relationship while filming The Notebook.
Ryan Gosling On Playing The Character Of Noah
Amongst all the characters Ryan Gosling is remembered for, The Notebook’s die-hard lover Noah tops the chart. During an interview with the reputed media platform GQ, the La La Land actor spoke about The Notebook and even mentioned how he ended up landing the role of Noah in the romantic drama. He said-
“Nick Cassavetes straight up told me: ‘The fact that you have no natural leading man qualities is why I want you to be my leading man. The fact that I wasn’t really right for it was exactly [director Henry Bean] he thought I was right for it,”
While talking about the movie, the actor even added-
“God bless The Notebook. It introduced me to one of the great loves of my life. But people do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie. Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that.”
Ryan Gosling is currently basking in the commercial and critical success of his movie Barbie. The Greta Gerwig-directed fantasy drama has officially entered the billion-dollar club in Hollywood. The movie stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.
The Notebook is currently available on Netflix.
Source: VH1
