George Clooney Almost Starred In The Notebook Over Ryan Gosling

George Clooney reveals he almost starred in the romantic drama The Notebook, in the role that ultimately helped to launch Ryan Gosling’s career.

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George Clooney almost starred in The Notebook instead of Ryan Gosling. Based on the book of the same name by author Nicholas Sparks, the film followed a young couple that fell in love in the 1940s. Their story is told, in the present day, by an elderly man to a fellow nursing home resident.

The drama, which was directed by Nick Cassavetes, proved to be a surprise hit which would quickly gain a large following. Earning $116 million at the box office, against a budget of $19 million, The Notebook became the 15th highest grossing romantic drama of all time. Even critics of the movie, who weren’t favorable to its overt sentimentality, largely admitted that Rachel McAdams and Gosling acquitted themselves well in their portrayal of the young couple. However, the popular adaptation was originally going to be very different.

The revelation came while Clooney was promoting his latest film, The Midnight Sky. Speaking to EW, the actor mentioned that he’d been set to appear in The Notebook as the movie’s male lead Noah. “I was going to do a movie years ago called The Notebook, that Ryan Gosling actually did, and I was going to do it with Paul Newman,” the Oscar winner revealed. “I was playing the flashback and Paul Newman was the old guy.” As for why he didn’t ultimately move forward with the project, Clooney cites a few hurdles. You can read his explanation below.

“Paul and I talked about doing it, and we were sitting there one day and I was looking at him and I go, ‘I can’t do this movie, Paul.’ He was like. ‘Why?’ I was like, ‘Because everybody knows what you look like at 30 years old. You got blue eyes, I got brown eyes. You’re too famous at 30 for me to be playing you at 30, it’s never gonna work.’ And he’s like, ‘I guess you’re right.’ We bailed out and I think 10 years later they made it.”

It would be difficult to imagine what it would have looked like if The Notebook moved forward with Clooney as the headliner. The romantic drama endures, in large part, due to the palpable chemistry of Gosling and McAdams. Not only did the two actors help to sell the love story with their on-screen performances, but their off-screen relationship also helped endear the young performers to audiences that were just getting to know them. From that point on, both McAdams and Gosling gradually built their respective filmographies to rank among the most recognizable stars in Hollywood. While their work in The Notebook helped elevate the adaptation, it more fundamentally helped to alter their careers in significant ways.

Considering that the novel on which The Notebook is based was released in 1996, it means that Clooney was considered to play Noah just as he was becoming a household name thanks to his leading role in ER. Studios, which are often notoriously averse to any perceived risks in their investments, would have wanted Clooney’s recognizability to help sell the adaptation. But in the end, the version that actually made it to the big screen turned into a contemporary romance classic and helped to introduce moviegoers to a pair of formidable talents in Gosling and McAdams. It goes to show that the first choice isn’t always best.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/notebook-movie-cast-george-clooney-ryan-gosling/