Where to watch The Notebook (2004)

Trivia & production notes

• Steven Spielberg was attached to direct The Notebook in 1998 and wanted to cast Tom Cruise as Noah before committing to other projects.
• M. Night Shyamalan was approached to direct but declined due to his commitment to The Sixth Sense.
• Director Nick Cassavetes specifically sought someone unknown and not conventionally handsome for Noah, which led him to cast Ryan Gosling.
• Ryan Gosling spent two months in Charleston before filming, during which he rowed the Ashley River and made furniture to prepare for the role.
• Rachel McAdams auditioned for Allie just two days after reading the script, competing against numerous other actresses including Britney Spears and Scarlett Johansson.
• Rachel McAdams took ballet and etiquette classes and worked with a dialect coach to master a Southern accent for her role.
• George Clooney was originally set to play young Noah with Paul Newman as older Noah, but Clooney withdrew after realizing he didn't resemble Newman.
• Although the film's plot centers on Seabrook Island, no actual filming took place there; instead the production used surrounding South Carolina locations.
• The house Noah repairs in the film is a private residence on Wadmalaw Island that was made to appear dilapidated through special effects, though it was actually in good condition.
• The college scenes were filmed at the College of Charleston but identified in dialogue as Sarah Lawrence College.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Notebook, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.