Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams hated working with each other
Hollywood may seem like a blissful world of red carpet ceremonies and the industry’s biggest talents, but below its glamorous exterior is a darker world of financial endeavour. Such has long been known, too, as even though the movie industry will try hard to divert your attention, films like David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive highlight the deceit, mystery and venom inherent within the American movie industry.
Glimmers of the industry’s fragility come to life after the regular news of a rift between two warring actors or a lead star and a stubborn director, with such stories reaching the press annually. Dustin Hoffman’s feud with Meryl Streep on the set of Kramer vs Kramer and Brad Pitt’s clash with Courtney Love, who was supposed to star in David Fincher’s Fight Club, are two of the most infamous on-set scraps, but what about some of the lesser-known tiffs?
One such showbiz argument came during the filming of the beloved romantic comedy The Notebook in the early 2000s, where Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams came to blows despite their sparky on-screen chemistry.
Starring as Noah and Allie in the Nick Cassavetes movie, adapted from the novel by Nicholas Sparks, Gosling and McAdams played two individuals whose social differences forced them into a complicated romantic entanglement. The film would go on to become a favourite among fans, earning over $115 million at the box office from a budget of just $29 million, making a name for both leading stars in the process.
Despite this, Cassavetes has since spoken extensively about the couple’s fragile relationship on set. As the director recalled (via Lainey Gossip): “They were really not getting along one day on set. Really not. Ryan came to me, and there’s 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, ‘Nick come here’. 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’”.
Turns out McAdams’ feelings toward Gosling were just as venomous as his towards her, so the two were sent away to sort out their differences. “We went into a room with a producer; they started screaming and yelling at each other. I walked out,” the director further revealed, adding that when they emerged from their fiery encounter, they announced, “‘All right, let’s do this,’” allowing the rest of the production to be smooth sailing.
Though, if romantic comedies have taught us anything, it’s that those who bicker are either genuine enemies or destined for romantic entanglement. The latter was the case for Gosling and McAdams, who surprisingly engaged in a two-year relationship after their tumultuous time together on the set of The Notebook.
Unfortunately, unlike their relationship in the movie, the two Hollywood stars were not meant to be, with Gosling telling GQ in 2007, “When both people are in show business, it’s too much show business…It takes all of the light, so nothing else can grow”.
