Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; New Line/courtesy Everett Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling starred in the beloved 2004 movieThe Notebook Several other stars — including Britney Spears — were up for the role of Allie Meanwhile, Gosling was a beloved choice early on in the process The Notebookbecame an instant classic when it premiered in 2004. AlthoughRachel McAdamsandRyan Goslingultimately played beloved love interests Allison "Allie" Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, there were several other stars who almost snagged the roles during the 2002 audition process. DirectorNick Cassavetesand casting director Matthew Barry chose Gosling earlier on in the process, while it took longer to scour the country for who would play Allie. "[Gosling was] weird enough in a certain respect that you would believe that he would know that he could take one look at somebody and know that that was the person for them," Cassavetes said in aninterview. After meeting with dozens of actresses, the directors tested out 10 different women with Gosling for a chemistry read. "Everybody who was anybody that year wanted this part," Barry told theDaily Mailin 2023. The search later dwindled down to McAdams andBritney Spears, but they ultimately went with McAdams — who was relatively unknown at the time — because of her chemistry with Gosling. "When Miss McAdams came in and read, it was apparent that she was the one," Cassavetes said in the same video. So, who were the other actors and actresses who auditioned forThe Notebook? Here's everything to know about the stars who didn't become Noah and Allie. Melissa Moseley/New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock Kevin Mazur/WireImage The role of Allie ultimately came down to eitherSpearsor McAdams. "At the height of her career she was like, 'I want to be really prepared for this,' " Barry recalled toE! Newsin 2021. "So I said, 'OK, come work with me and my partner.' And she came in eight hours, two days in a row and worked with us. She was fantastic." Barry later told theDaily Mailthat Spears' audition "blew away" him and the other producers. "Britney wasn't just good — she was phenomenal," he told the outlet. "It was a tough decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day." However, Barry toldE! Newsthat Cassavetes had some hesitations over casting Spears while she was soaring in fame (she had justacted in the 2002 filmCrossroads). Although they went with McAdams for the role, Spears later addressed the rejection and said it was for the best. "The Notebookcasting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I'm glad I didn't do it. If I had, instead of working on my albumIn the Zone, I'd have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night," she wrote in her 2023 memoir,The Woman In Me. "Living that way, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up. After a while you don't know what's real anymore." Spears ended up acting in a few more movies —Austin Powers in Goldmember(2002),Pauly Shore Is Dead(2003) andFahrenheit 9/11(2004) — but she prioritized her music and released albumsIn the Zone(2003) andBlackout(2007). Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Casting director Barry toldE! NewsthatReese Witherspoonwas initially thought of as a potential candidate for Allie. However, before she auditioned for the role, Barry and the rest of the team "realized she was too old for the role." At the time of the movie in 2004, Allie and Noah were both supposed to be 17, while Witherspoon was 28. Of course, not gettingThe Notebookwas far from detrimental, as Witherspoon became a leading romantic comedy actress and starred inLegally Blonde,Sweet Home Alabama,Vanity Fair,Walk the LineandJust Like Heaven— all from 2001 to 2005. ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty BeforeJennifer Lawrencehad her big break inThe Hunger Games, she auditioned for the role of Allie. However, Barry recalled that she was just 13 years old at the time, so "she was way too young," he toldE! News. Lawrence continued auditioning as a young teenager and scored her first major role on the sitcomThe Bill Engvall Show(2007-2009) and the filmWinter's Bone(2010). In 2012, she skyrocketed to fame when she acted asKatniss Everdeen inThe Hunger Gamesfilm series. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Scarlett Johanssonhas not openly spoken about auditioning for Allie, but Barry told theDaily Mailthat she was one of the women who auditioned for the role. At the time of her audition, she had started to see success from her roles inThe Horse Whisperer(1998) andGhost World(2001). However, she didn't let the process get her down, and she scored aBAFTA Awardfor Best Actress for her role in the 2003 movieLost in Translation. Over the next three years, she acted inGirl with a Pearl Earring,A Love Song for Bobby Long,Match PointandScoop, among others. Kevin Winter/Getty At the time ofThe Notebookauditions,Kate Beckinsalehad been receiving praise for her role in the 2001 moviePearl HarborwithBen Affleck. Barry explained that because of her rise to stardom, they immediately thought of her early on in the role. "Nick flew to San Francisco to go meet with her," Barry toldE! News. "And there was no chemistry between the two of them. So Nick was like, 'She's out, find me somebody.' " Shortly after being passed over for the role, Beckinsale found success when she starred as Selene in theUnderworldfilm franchise from 2003 to 2016. She also went on to act inThe Aviator(2004),Van Helsing(2004) andClick(2006). J.Sciulli/WireImage Jessica Bielhad already solidified her acting chops by the time she was approached to audition forThe Notebook. In 2002, Biel had already starred in7th HeavenandUlee's Gold(1997) and was working on the 2003 filmThe Texas Chainsaw Massacrewhen she read the part of Allie. "The director Nick, Ryan and I actually flew to Texas where she was filmingTexas Chainsaw Massacreand taped her in her trailer between shots," Barry recalled to theDaily Mail. Biel alsorehashed the auditionduring a May 2025 episode ofThe Viewwhen she remembered thinking thatThe Notebookwould be "the greatest option for me in my career." "We auditioned in my trailer at work, and I didn't get it of course, we know this is the answer," she said. "But in my mind I just remember having blood on me and being in that white tank top, and took my cowboy hat off, and was like, 'Okay, I'd love to fall in love with you, let's do this.' It was very strange, a very Hollywood moment, you know?" Biel went on to act inThe Rules of Attraction(2002),Blade: Trinity(2004),Stealth(2005) andThe Illusionist(2006). Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Barry confirmed to theDaily MailthatAmy Adamswas one of the women who originally auditioned for Allie. Adams, who has not spoken about her audition, made her film debut in the 1999 filmDrop Dead Gorgeous, but she had her breakout role in the 2002 movieCatch Me If You Canand laterJunebugin 2005. Evan Agostini/Getty Claire Daneswas another actress Barry named who auditioned for Allie. When Danes tried out for Allie in 2002, she had already had success while starring in the 1994 teen drama seriesMy So-Called Life— where she won aGolden Globe Awardand earned anEmmy Awardnomination. She also acted inLittle Women(1994),Romeo + Juliet(1996),The Rainmaker(1997) andBrokedown Palace(1999). From 2002 to 2005, she starred in several films, includingIgby Goes Down(2002),The Hours(2002),Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines(2003),Stage Beauty(2004),Shopgirl(2005) andThe Family Stone(2005). Kevin Winter/Getty Mandy Mooreauditioned for the role of Allie but ultimately wasn't chosen, according to Barry. At the time of her 2002 audition, Moore had already solidified her career as a pop star with the release of her first studio album,So Realin 1999. She also began acting and had roles inThe Princess Diaries(2001),A Walk to Remember(2002),How to Deal(2003) andChasing Liberty(2004). Even though she didn't snagThe Notebookrole, she continued her dual career by singing and acting and went on to star onRacing Stripes(2005),Because I Said So(2007) andLicense to Wed(2007), among others. Frazer Harrison/Getty Jennifer Love Hewittwas one of the final six actresses narrowed down for Allie, Barry toldE! News. Before throwing her hat into the ring forThe Notebook, Hewitt had already broken through in Hollywood and had starring roles inParty of Five(1995-1999),I Know What You Did Last Summer(1997) and its sequelI Still Know What You Did Last Summer(1998),Heartbreakers(2001) andThe Tuxedo(2002). AfterThe Notebookpremiered in 2004, Hewitt acted in the twoGarfieldlive-action films (2004-2006) and the dramaGhost Whisperer(2005-2010). SGranitz/WireImage Barry told theDaily MailthatKate Bosworthwas one of the actresses they recruited to audition for Allie, but she wasn't a final contender. Bosworth has not spoken about the audition, but she previously recalled struggling during auditions at that time in her career. During a 2019 episode ofWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Bosworth revealed that sheauditioned for the role of Mary Jane Watsonin the 2002 filmSpider-Manbut lost out to Kirsten Dunst after she "tanked" the audition. "I tanked it really, really badly," she said at the time. "Auditioning is literally a layer of hell. It just sucks regardless, and I was really nervous. ... I was not good at it. I knew. I just kind of froze. And I was really young!" At the time of her 2002 audition, Bosworth had wrapped filming the hit movieBlue Crush. She went on to star inWonderland(2003),Beyond the Sea(2004) andSuperman Returns(2006). J. Merritt/FilmMagic In addition to McAdams, Spears and Hewitt,Jaime Kingwas one of the final six actors who were in talks to play Allie, Barry toldE! News. Before auditioning forThe Notebookin 2002, King had already had a successful modeling career since getting discovered at 14 years old. She transitioned into acting in 2001 with the moviePearl Harborand later went on to star inBulletproof Monk(2003),White Chicks(2004) andSin City(2005). Gregg DeGuire/WireImage While Barry and Cassavetes were meeting with different actresses to play Allie, Gosling suggested that Jane McGregor should be considered for the role. Barry toldE! Newsthat Gosling was a "big champion" for McGregor, so she was "high on everyone's list at the time." Before trying out for Allie, McGregor had starred in the 2002 comedy,Slap Her... She's Frenchand the independent filmFlower & Garnet. She later acted inSupernatural(2005),That Beautiful Somewhere(2006) andRobson Arms(2005-2008). Moviestore/Shutterstock Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Tom Cruisewas once considered for the role of Noah. However, Cassavetes later decided against the idea of Cruise, because he didn't want "an actor that's fallen in love with 10 other actresses [on screen]," he toldEntertainment Weeklyin 2024. "I've seen him do it a million times. Then you get to the point where you're like, oh, look, it's Tom Cruise, falling in love with somebody different this time. It doesn't feel quite as authentic," he explained. "And we were lucky to have them at the beginning of their careers. And you really believed it." Cruise had already had a decades-long acting career. He rose to fame in the filmsRisky Business(1983),Top Gun(1986) andRain Man(1988). At the time ofThe Notebook, Cruise had already won aGolden Globe Award forMagnoliain 1999 and later acted inVanilla Sky(2001),Minority Report(2002),The Last Samurai(2003) andCollateral(2004). Carlos Alvarez/Getty George Clooneywas another swoon-worthy actor who almost stole hearts as Noah. BeforeThe Notebookcast Gosling as young Noah andJames Garneras older Noah,Clooney was in talks to play young NoahalongsidePaul Newman. Clooney explained in 2020 that he was close with the late Newman, so they thought it would be "great" to play younger and older versions of themselves. "We were going to doThe Notebooktogether," Clooney said at the time, according toDeadline. "Basically, I was going to play him as a young man, and it was funny. We met and said, 'This is it. It's going to be great.' " However, Clooney later backed out of the idea after he watched some of Newman's films from when he was Clooney's age, and he didn't think he could stack up. "He's one of the handsomest guys you've ever seen. We met up [again] and I said, 'I can't play you. I don't look anything like you. This is insane,' " Clooney shared. "We just wanted to do it because we wanted to work together, [but] it ended up being not the right thing for us to do." Clooney had already asserted himself as a heartthrob on the medical dramaER(1994-1999) and later acted in the hit moviesFrom Dusk Till Dawn(1996),Three Kings(1999) and theOcean'sfilm series(2001-2007). He went on to win an Oscar for the movieSyrianain 2005 and got nominated for Oscars in the filmsMichael Clayton(2007),Up in the Air(2009) andThe Descendants(2011). Junko Kimura/Getty Before Barry and Cassavetes chose Gosling, they expressed interest inHayden Christensenbecause of his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in theStar Warsfilm franchise. Before meeting with him, Barry and Cassavetes went to see him in one of their beloved sci-fi films and decided that they wouldn't be moving forward, Barry toldE! News. Christensen continued acting in theStar Warsprequel trilogy films from 2002 to 2005 and also acted inShattered Glass(2003),Awake(2007) andJumper(2008). Mark Mainz/Getty Clooney explained in 2020 that he and Newman were originally in talks to play the older and younger versions of Noah. However, after Clooney backed out, Newman also did, and his role went toJames Garner. Newman was anaward-winning actor, philanthropist and director for most of his life before hediedin 2008 at the age of 83. He won an Oscar for his role inThe Color of Money(1986) and got nominated for his performances inCat on a Hot Tin Roof(1958),The Hustler(1961),Hud(1963),Cool Hand Luke(1967),Absence of Malice(1981),The Verdict(1982),Nobody's Fool(1994) andRoad to Perdition(2002). At the time ofThe Notebook, he was starring inRoad to Perdition,Empire Falls(2005) and the Broadway playOur Town(2003). Amy Graves/WireImage; New Line/courtesy Everett In addition to the roles of Allie and Noah,The Notebookalso featured the character of Allie's fiancé Lon Hammond.James Marsdenultimately scored the role, butBradley Cooperwas also up for the job, Barry toldE! News. However, they ultimately advocated for Marsden because of his performance inX-Men(2000). Barry said of Marsden, "He's just the absolute greatest. Hollywood is full of dysfunctional people and a------- and he's not one of them. He was just fantastic." Despite not getting the role inThe Notebook, Cooper made his film debut inWet Hot American Summer(2001) and later starred inAlias(2001-2006) before rising to fame for his roles inWedding Crashers(2005) andThe Hangover(2009). Read the original article onPeople
