Tom Cruise Would've Been The Notebook Star if Spielberg Had His Way
The Notebook could be a very different movie with Tom Cruise in the lead and Steven Spielberg in the director's chair.
Upon its release, the romantic drama The Notebook received mixed reviews, but it was a box office success, and over time, the film became a sleeper hit with a cult following.
The love story between Noah and Allison, brought to life by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, captivated millions of viewers worldwide, and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing these young and charismatic characters today.
At some point, however, the film, which had been in production for years, took a completely different direction. It turned out that Steven Spielberg was interested in directing the romantic story based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. And he came to the project with a male lead in mind. He wanted Tom Cruise to play Noah.
Although Spielberg's choice may seem confusing today, Cruise was a much younger actor at the time, starring in dramas as well as action films. Some of his iconic projects included Interview With The Vampire, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, and Vanilla Sky. Who would say he was not romantic movie material?
Besides, the iconic director and the A-list star had a friendly relationship and wanted to work together ever since they met on the set of Risky Business. And they eventually did in two movies, Minority Report and War Of The Worlds. But not on The Notebook.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Spielberg had to leave the project for Nick Cassavetes to pick up years later. And the new director came with a new star.
The director knew he wanted Gosling for the title role the moment he saw him. But, as he once shared, he had to convince the studio that the young actor was the right fit. His reasoning behind the choice surprised even Gosling.
The actor recalled how the director said he wanted to cast him as Noah because he was different from other Hollywood actors.
"You're not handsome, you're not cool, you're just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts," Cassavetes told Gosling.
It was either for this reason or some other that New Line Cinema finally agreed to the director's casting decision. And today it seems that there could not have been a better choice. However, it would be interesting to see Spielberg's version of The Notebook starring Tom Cruise.