Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are talented actors, because The Notebook shows no signs of behind-the-scenes strife.
According to director Nick Cassavetes, the co-stars' chemistry on set wasn't as evident as it was when the movie was released in theaters. "Maybe I'm not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set. Really not," he recalls to Vh1. "And Ryan came to me, and there's 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, 'Nick come here.' And he's doing a scene with Rachel and he says, 'Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?' I said, 'What?' He says, 'I can't. I can't do it with her. I'm just not getting anything from this."
Realizing the movie hinged on the actors' performances, Cassavetes held an impromptu therapy session.
"We went into a room with a producer; they started screaming and yelling at each other. I walked out," he remembers. "At that point I was smoking cigarettes. I smoked a cigarette and everybody came out like, 'All right let's do this.' And it got better after that, you know? They had it out." According to the 55-year-old filmmaker, "I think Ryan respected her for standing up for her character and Rachel was happy to get that out in the open. The rest of the film wasn't smooth sailing, but it was smoother sailing."
Perhaps it was that passion that made Gosling and McAdams decide to date on-and-off for four years.
The Notebook, which celebrated its 10th anniversary June 25, starred James Garner as the elder Noah. Because they were playing the same person, Gosling was eager to discuss character traits with the actor. Unfortunately, the 86-year-old screen legend didn't share Gosling's enthusiasm for discussing character choices, which ranged from mirroring each other's mannerisms to making sure their eye colors matched.
"Jimmy is one of those kind of actors who's a no-bulls--t actor from a time gone by," Cassavetes tells Vh1 of the esteemed Maverick star. "But Ryan finds significance in talking about hairstyles and everything."