Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams put in one of the most sensational romantic performances of all time in The Notebook - but it was almost very different.
The much-loved movie, which was released in 2004 and based on a novel of the same name, sees a man reading a notebook in the present day about a young couple falling in love in the 1940s.
After receiving mixed reviews at the time, The Notebook became a sleeper hit and has since gained a cult following, with many believing it to be the greatest romantic drama of all time.
Despite initially thinking he "couldn't be more wrong for this movie", Gosling was cast as hopeless romantic Noah Calhoun, then came the hunt to find someone to play his love interest, Allie Hamilton.
Many big names auditioned for the role, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Biel, Ashley Judd and Britney Spears, but they decided McAdams was perfect after seeing her audition.
But the two leading actors didn't get off to the best of starts, as Ryan reportedly wanted Rachel to be sacked because of a lack of chemistry.
Back in 2014, director Nick Cassavetes revealed that Gosling pulled him to one side and asked if he could fire his co-star.
"Maybe I'm not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set. Really not," Cassavetes told VH-1.
"And Ryan came to me, and there's 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, 'Nick come here'.
"And he's doing a scene with Rachel and he says, 'Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?'
"I said, 'What?' He says, 'I can't. I can't do it with her. I'm just not getting anything from this'."
However, the director didn't want to give up hope on the pair and decided to set up an impromptu therapy session, which got incredibly heated.
Cassevetes continued: "We went into a room with a producer, they started screaming and yelling at each other.
"I walked out ... I smoked a cigarette and everybody came out like, 'All right let's do this'. And it got better after that, you know? They had it out.
"I think Ryan respected her for standing up for her character and Rachel was happy to get that out in the open."
Although he was able to finish the film, which many fans will be very grateful for, he admitted the co-stars still had difficulties after their argument.
He added: "The rest of the film wasn't smooth sailing, but it was smoother sailing."
In a strange twist, Gosling and McAdams went from enemies to lovers as they started dating once they wrapped on the film.
Upon receiving a MTV Best Kiss award for their snog in the rain, Ryan said "You have to be born with a magic mouth. Some have said about Rachel that she’s kind of like what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar."
Unfortunately, their romance only lasted for two years and they reportedly split due to busy work schedules and Rachel's uncertainty about having children.
But fans of The Notebook took their break up personally, with Ryan admitting: "Women are mad at me.
"A girl came up to me on the street, and she almost smacked me. Like, 'How could you? How could you let a girl like that go?'
"I feel like I want to give people hugs. They seem so sad. Rachel and I should be the ones getting hugs! Instead, we’re consoling everybody else."
But Ryan still spoke highly of Rachel and their relationship, gushing to GQ: "God bless The Notebook. It introduced me to one of the great loves of my life.
"But people do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie. Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that.
"The only thing I remember is we both went down swingin' and we called it a draw."
Ryan, who previously dated Sandra Bullock, went on to briefly date Gossip Girl star Blake Lively in 2010 and was linked with Olivia Wilde.
The 42-year-old started a relationship with The Place Beyond The Pines co-star Eva Mendes in 2011 and they have two children together.
As for McAdams, who celebrated her 44th birthday on Thursday, she was in a relationship with her Midnight in Paris co-star Michael Sheen from 2010 to 2013.
Then in 2016 she dated American screenwriter Jamie Linden, and they have two kids together.
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