Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams made history when they starred as Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton in the 2004 film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling novel The Notebook. Though McAdams ultimately landed the role, pop star Britney Spears was also up to play Allie. Now, the sought-after audition tape has been unveiled, showing the singer’s acting performance for the first time ever.
In the audition tape, uploaded via The Daily Mail, Spears delivered Allie’s monologue, while her The Mickey Mouse Club co-star Gosling — though off camera — was present during the entire audition. Watch Spears’ two-minute audition clip below:
Spears Reportedly Beat Out Famous Actresses for the Allie Role
Apart from Spears, The Notebook had few candidates to play Allie, including Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde), Claire Danes (Romeo + Juliet), Amy Adams (Enchanted), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), and Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Although the aforementioned actresses would have made excellent choices, McAdams ultimately won the role, which has since emerged as one of her best performances; however, the film’s casting director, Matthew Barry, had nothing but good words about Spears.
“Britney wasn’t just good — she was phenomenal,’ Barry told The Daily Mail. “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.”
Although Spears would have liked to work with Gosling again, she revealed in her memoir, “The Woman in Me,” that she’s glad the Mean Girls actress got the role instead, as she didn’t want to be an actor in the first place, considering her thriving career as a pop star during the early 2000s.
During the height of the #FreeBritney movement, rumors about Spears’ The Notebook audition tape have surfaced online, which has prompted some to offer millions just to see the coveted footage. There are currently no details on how The Daily Mail obtained the tape or the motivation behind their decision to release the clip, but fans are — of course — rejoicing at what could have been.
