Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were the envy of everyone who longed for the ultimate Hollywood romance as young lovers Noah and Allie in The Notebook.
But a legendary casting tape hidden by Hollywood casting director Matthew Berry for two decades and shared exclusively with shows how close then-21-year-old Britney Spears came to landing the lead role after she had delivered a breathtakingly emotional film during her screen test with Gosling.
According to Berry, the now 41-year-old singer beat out a number of other candidates, including Claire Danes, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Jessica Biel, and was the frontrunner for the role of Allie – before the film’s makers finally decided on the role decided McAdams, now 44.
Spears’ fans have been desperate to see the coveted 2002 screen test for years, and in 2021 an eBay listing is popping up that’s reportedly offering it for $1 million.
Now can exclusively reveal the singer’s emotional two-and-a-half minute audition, in which she slowly breaks down in tears in front of Gosling as she reads through a particularly raw and iconic scene – just months after her ex Justin Timberlake brutally ended their three-year relationship with one SMS.
Britney Spears, 41, auditioned for the lead role opposite Ryan Gosling, 42, in “The Notebook.” has the singer’s never-before-seen audition tape, recorded on August 18, 2002
According to casting director Matthew Berry, Spears burst into tears as she did her best during the audition
The singer proved why she was in the running for the role as she made an emotional appearance at a casting studio in Los Angeles
Ultimately, it was Rachel McAdams, 44, who was cast alongside Gosling, portrayed together as Noah and Allie in the film
In the clip, Spears is seen wearing a white lace top and her hair down, and Gosling is seen standing off camera reading through a scene together – with the pop star slowly tearing up as she goes through her lines.
“I’m not staying,” she begins. “I tried to call you to let you know I wasn’t staying – but no one answered the phone.”
Struggling to maintain eye contact as she deals the devastating blow of her character going through with her plans to marry another man, Spears continues, “Noah, you can’t marry two people.” And I’m marrying Lon ‘So I should go, okay?’
Proving why she deserves to compete for the role, she begins to cry as she tells Gosling, “I really prayed for you to die in the war.” Well, not die. I would have felt absolutely terrible if you had died.
“But I somehow didn’t want you to be alive anymore because I couldn’t bear the thought of you being with someone else or that we’d never see each other again. So I have to go, okay?’
According to Berry, Spears’ stunning display of raw emotion “blown away” the film’s producers – and had all but secured her role in the film before McAdams stepped in front of the camera and was chosen as the ideal leading lady.
“Britney wasn’t just good – she was phenomenal,” Berry said, recalling the audition in a Los Angeles studio on August 18, 2002.
“It was a difficult decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She did her best that day.’
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel of the same name, The Notebook follows Allie and Noah, who fall in love in the 1940s before being separated from their disapproving mother.
Spears with casting director Matthew Berry, who finally revealed his screen test after 21 years
At the time, McAdams, pictured during her audition in 2002, was relatively unknown
McAdams as heiress Allie in the hit film that catapulted her Hollywood career
Spears and Gosling met as children in the 1990s while working on Disney’s “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
Seven years later, they finally reunite when she becomes engaged to wealthy businessman Lon Hammond Jr. – played by James Marsden – after seeing a picture of Noah in front of the house he vowed to buy for her restore.
Everyone who applied for the role was presented with the same monologue – a twist on the scene where Noah pushes Allie to decide which man she would rather be with.
Berry said: “Britney beat out several of the best female actresses at the time.” Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, Kate Bosworth, Amy Adams, Jamie King and Mandy Moore auditioned for the role. Britney beat them all. “Everyone special that year wanted that role.”
Also in the running for the role was Biel, 42, the current wife of Spears’ ex Timberlake.
Recalling Biel’s audition, Berry said, “The director Nick, Ryan and I actually flew to Texas where she was filming Texas Chainsaw Massacre and filmed her in her trailer between takes.”
Ultimately there was a “tough” conversation between Spears and the then unknown actress McAdams, which the bosses finally agreed on.
The decision was welcomed by Spears, who said she would have felt “confused” playing 1940s heiress Allie for weeks.
Recalling her screen test in her upcoming memoir The Woman in Me, she said: “The Notebook casting was up to me and Rachel McAdams, and although it would have been fun to reconnect after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club Ryan Gosling.”, I’m glad I didn’t.
Claire Danes, 44, was one of the few actresses who auditioned for the role of Allie
Jessica Biel, 41, who later married Spears’ ex Justin Timberlake, auditioned while filming The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Scarlett Johansson, 38, was also beaten out by Spears, who was closer to the role
“If I had done that, I would have behaved like a 1940s heiress day and night instead of working on my album In the Zone.”
Spears was blown away by acting after playing Lucy Wagner in the coming-of-age film Crossroads.
She continued: “I hope I never come close to this occupational hazard again.”
“Living like that, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up.” “After a while you don’t know what’s real anymore.”
In addition to Berry, Gosling also previously praised Spears, claiming she did an “excellent job.”
“We met a lot of actresses and they were all very good,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” in 2013. “I hadn’t really seen her since she was about 12 – we were both 12 – so she’s an adult, but she was actually really good.
“She did a really good job.” We were 12, I don’t remember much from when I was 12, but yeah, no, she did a really great job. That was cool.’
After releasing her first single…Baby One More Time in 1998, Britney became an international superstar and built an estimated net worth of $70 million, including nine studio albums, a Grammy Award and a $138 million Las Vegas residency Vegas.
“The Notebook” was a huge success and is considered one of the best romantic films of all time.
Aside from grossing $118 million at the box office on a budget of $29 million, the film helped catapult both Gosling and McAdams into superstardom.
The Canadian actor, who has an estimated net worth of $70 million, went on to star in Drive, Blue Valentine, Barbie and La La Land, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 2017.
McAdams landed roles in “About Time,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “Game Night” and received a nomination for best supporting actress for her role in “Spotlight.”
After working on the film, the two experienced a real-life love story and dated for two years before calling it quits in 2007.
In an interview with GQ Magazine, the Hollywood heartthrob praised the film for bringing the two of them together.
“I mean, God bless The Notebook, it introduced me to one of the great loves of my life,” he said, before emphasizing that it doesn’t hold a candle to their real-life romance.
“People do Rachel and I a disservice when they assume we’re anything like the people in this movie.” “Rachel and my love story is a lot more romantic.”
Spears auditioned for the film just five months after her ex-partner Timberlake, pictured together in 2001, broke up with her via text message
“The Notebook” led to a real-life romance between Gosling and McAdams, pictured in 2004, before they called it quits two years later
Although Spears may not have been used to life on screen, Berry, who teaches acting classes, thinks the Grammy winner shouldn’t throw in the towel.
“I hope she goes and gets back to business.” “She has the talent,” he said.
He turned directly to the pop singer and said: “Come back to us.” You are an inspiration to so many young women.
“Britney, come work with me again.” I’ll get you in shape in a month and I’m dying to cast you in my next film. “Talent like yours doesn’t go away.”
Spears is currently preparing to release her highly anticipated memoir, which promises to lift the lid on her harrowing 13-year tenure as a conservator, her relationship with Timberlake and her marriage to Sam Asghari.
In explosive excerpts released ahead of its October 24 release, she was shown accusing Timberlake of cheating on her during her relationship with a celebrity and also revealed how she had an abortion when they were both 19 years old while he “was”. I’m not ready to be a father yet.
She shared a cryptic message with her more than 42.2 million Instagram followers on Sunday.
The mother of two shared a photo of a pink heart-shaped cake with the words “See you in hell” written in pink icing.
Although it’s unclear who exactly she’s addressing, the mother of two insisted to fans on Friday that her bombshell memoir wasn’t intended to upset anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings.
BRITNEY’S MONOLOGUE – FULL:
“I’m not staying. I tried to call you to let you know I wasn’t staying but no one answered the phone.
“Look Noah, I can’t be here.” Not the way I feel about you, it’s not fair to Lon.
“Noah, you can’t marry two people.” And I’m marrying Lon, so I should go, okay?
“I really prayed for you to die in the war. Well, don’t die. I would have felt absolutely terrible if you had died.
“But I somehow didn’t want you to be alive anymore because I couldn’t bear the thought of you being with someone else or that we’d never see each other again. So I have to go, okay?
“Noah, I’m so confused. It may not seem like it, but it really is me. For seven years, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get you out of my head. And then I met Lon and told him that I was going to marry him and that I wanted to marry him. I really do.
“But then I saw your picture in the paper and knew I had to see you again because we were never really done, not really. And now I’m here and it’s like I feel so much and all those teenage feelings have come back and I don’t know but I still love Lon. And I would never end our marriage. I would never do that.
“But deep down I just want to crawl into a hole and stay there for the rest of my life.”
“You tell me what to do.” Tell me.
“Should I leave before I make a complete mess or just stay here and enjoy the time we have left together?”
“Please tell me what to do?”