After launching her career as a pop star and securing just a single acting role—a supporting part in The Princess Diaries—Mandy Moore passionately pursued the role of Jamie in the film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. The character and storyline deeply resonated with her after she read the book.

“I had such an intense reaction that I couldn’t even read properly; I was almost hyperventilating as I cried,” Moore shared with the Los Angeles Times in 2010. “It was my first movie, and while some may call it cliché or a tearjerker, it’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”

However, Moore almost lost the role to another contender, as revealed by Shane West, who played Landon, her romantic interest in the film.

“There was another name being considered for Mandy’s role,” West told Entertainment Weekly with a hint of mystery. “I wasn’t fond of that idea, and fortunately, it didn’t come to pass.”

Though West refrained from revealing the actress’s identity, director Adam Shankman disclosed she was another young singer vying for the part.

“The studio had me looking at Jessica Simpson,” he shared with Elle. “But I was driving up Laurel Canyon, I heard Mandy’s song ‘I Wanna Be With You,’ and I thought, who the hell is that little angel voice? I went to the Virgin record store, saw her face, and flipped out. I said, ‘That’s my girl.’”