There were rumors of disharmony on set, but it turns out that the only cast member from “The Notebook” Ryan Gosling had beef with was none other than Rachel McAdams, his lead co-star. As pros should do, they aired out their issues with one another and things were fine after that, with the two even dating for a time. And, of course, the work they did on “The Notebook” speaks for itself, as it would go on to be considered a modern romance movie classic. It leads one to wonder whether or not Gosling would’ve had better luck with the other woman who was not only in contention for the part of Allie, but was almost chosen. 

That woman was none other than pop sensation Britney Spears, who at the time had just begun dipping her toe into acting but was still largely known for her music. In fact, Spears and Gosling had a history — they appeared in two seasons of “The All-New Mickey Mouse Club” together, along with Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, and a few other future famous people. And to hear the casting director of “The Notebook” tell it, McAdams only narrowly won the role over Spears. 

What makes the fact that Britney Spears almost pipped Rachel McAdams to the role of Allie in “The Notebook” is that several other big names were in contention for the part until she came along and blew them out of the water. Matthew Barry, casting director for “The Notebook,” said to the Daily Mail in 2023 of her audition, “Britney wasn’t just good — she was phenomenal.” Both he and the movie’s producers were floored by Spears’ reading with Gosling, so much so that previous hopefuls Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, and Jessica Biel were all ruled out in favor of Spears.

Unfortunately for Spears, the casting people weren’t done trying people out. When Rachel McAdams came in to audition, she absolutely nailed it. Barry explains, “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.” But they ultimately decided on the lesser-known McAdams, and the one-two punch of “The Notebook” and “Mean Girls” in 2004 would make her a superstar. They also remain two of Rachel McAdams’ best movies to date.

Losing out on the role of Allie in “The Notebook” was likely a blow for Britney Spears, though, by her own admission, it was actually for the best. Two years before “The Notebook” hit cineplexes, Spears did the road trip movie “Crossroads,” co-starring with Taryn Manning and another soon-to-be A-lister named Zoë Saldana. Critics were hard on it, but it performed pretty decently at the box office and has gone on to become a cult classic. However, as Spears would reveal later, she actually didn’t enjoy the experience of acting all that much. 

In her memoir, “The Woman in Me,” Spears said that she fell into method acting on “Crossroads” and found herself really struggling to break out of it, something that wasn’t great for her mental health. With that in mind, she said she was ultimately relieved she didn’t get cast in “The Notebook” because that would’ve meant having to go through all that again. She would dabble in small acting roles over the years — including the character everyone forgets Spears played in “How I Met Your Mother” — but “Crossroads” remains her only major starring role in a film or TV show.