Ryan Gosling liked both Britney Spears and Rachel McAdams for ‘Notebook’ role, casting director says
nypost.comBritney Spears very nearly snagged the lead role in “The Notebook.” Casting director Matthew Barry told The Post that the 2002 nationwide search for the part of Allie — in which he saw actresses such as Jessica Biel, Claire Danes and Scarlett Johannson — ultimately came down to Rachel McAdams and Spears.“It was tough because we did narrow it down to Rachel and Britney,” Barry said of the effort to find the perfect leading lady for the 2004 romance movie based on Nicholas Sparks’ popular novel.
And star Ryan Gosling was impressed with Spears, Barry said: “I think Ryan would’ve preferred either of them.”The casting director added, “the studio, for obvious reasons, would’ve liked Britney.
But they also agreed and trusted [director] Nick [Cassavetes] with Rachel. That’s something that doesn’t happen anymore. A $29 million movie with two unknowns?
No.”For fans, Spears’ audition tape has become a holy grail of Hollywood. But now they can witness a piece of the performance she might have given.
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