What You Don't Know About Ryan Gosling And Rachel McAdams' Relationship
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams breathed life into the silver screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook." And despite the film receiving mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, there's absolutely no denying the chemistry between the two actors throughout the film. That chemistry, as we would all soon learn, did not go away once the cameras stopped rolling. In the '00s, Gosling and McAdams were one of the "it" couples in Hollywood, and though their relationship did not last, it sure sounds like they don't harbor any regrets.
"God bless The Notebook," Gosling once gushed to GQ. "It introduced me to one of the great loves of my life." Referring, of course, to his relationship with McAdams, the "La La Land" actor went on to praise her even more. "But people do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie," he continued. "Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that." Keep on reading to find out more about these lovebirds who have miraculously managed to be "a hell of a lot more romantic" than two of the most romantic characters of all time.
They were born in the same hospital
Out of all the hospitals in the world, Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling happened to be born in the same one. Funny enough, they did not meet until they were cast as love interests. "Ryan and I were born at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. Different year," McAdams told a reporter while promoting "The Notebook. "But uh, yeah. I guess that's where it began."
Yet just like Allie and Noah in "The Notebook," despite McAdams and Gosling growing up in the same general area, their backstories couldn't be more different from one another. When Stylist UK asked about her upbringing, McAdams shared, "I had a lovely childhood"; Gosling, on the flip side, seemed to have a rougher time of it. "I was a lonely child, I didn't do well at school and TV was my only friend," he recalled to New York Daily News. He added that it was difficult growing up in a strict religious household, where he was raised as a devout Mormon. He told The Guardian, "My mother admits it: She says, you were raised by a religious zealot. She's different now, but at the time, it was a part of everything — what they ate, how they thought."
They had instant chemistry
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams may have never crossed paths while growing up in Ontario, but something electric passed through them during the audition process of "The Notebook." Nick Cassavetes, the director of the film, refused to make the movie unless he could find the perfect female lead to portray Allie opposite Gosling's Noah in the 2004 adaptation. As E! News recounted, Cassavetes auditioned a number of A-list celebrities, including Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and Reese Witherspoon, but none of them had the right spark with Gosling. "You may have two great actors, the two best actors for the part individually," said the film's producer Mark Johnson in an interview with Fandango. "But if the chemistry isn't there between the two of them then that movie's doomed."
And because Gosling couldn't find proper chemistry with any of the A-list actors, it seemed like the movie was, in fact, doomed... until McAdams read for the part. "I just walked into that room and I was just in another world," she revealed to Fandango. 'I just couldn't catch my breath."
They reportedly butted heads while filming The Notebook
The "electric" energy between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling ceased to die out once the cameras stopped rolling. Sparks flew between the actors while filming the Nicholas Sparks adaptation of "The Notebook," yet at times, the tension between the actors was so intense that it got in the way of the filming process. Much of that passionate tension between Gosling and McAdams would be released through heated arguments with one another. And at one point, things got so heated between the two that Gosling apparently did not want to work with her anymore.
"Maybe I'm not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set. Really not," director Nick Cassavetes once divulged to VH1. "[Gosling was] 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.'"
Rachel McAdams has also said she and Gosling were at odds. "We weren't throwing Ming vases at each other, so it wasn't loathing, but our relationship was not what you saw on the screen," she confessed to The Times in 2013. Gosling shared a similar sentiment in a 2007 interview with The Guardian: "It was a strange experience, making a love story and not getting along with your co-star in any way."
The movie moment that possibly set the foundation
Nick Cassavetes may have told VH1 that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams clashed while filming "The Notebook," but he's also called out the moment when it looked like something was bubbling underneath the actors' onscreen chemistry. As far as Cassavetes is concerned, the unforgettable kissing scene when Allie and Noah lock lips for the very first time seemed like a turning point for their real-life dynamic. From the director's perspective, the passion came naturally.
"I didn't need to direct nothing," Cassavetes said of the kissing scene to Rotten Tomatoes. "These kids were on each other and I think that a lot of it was character, but a lot of it was ... They wound up together for many years after the movie, which is...I don't know if I'm proud of it, but I think it's fantastic that they found each other like that. And I think that was the moment, because they weren't together before that kiss. But they were together after that kiss, so maybe that was one of the deciding moments."
That smooch ended up being an iconic, award-winning, capital-M movie moment. (Don't worry, we're going to dig into that "award-winning" part.)
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams finally started dating
Although Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams clearly had something special brewing between them while filming "The Notebook" from 2002 to 2003, they waited to take the next step in their relationship. As McAdams told Elle, they didn't get together until "quite a while after the movie." Evidently, they needed some time to let the dust settle. As Gosling said in The Guardian, "Two years later I saw her in New York and we started getting the idea that maybe we were wrong about each other."
The "Mean Girls" alum and the "La La Land" star are both known for keeping their personal lives as private as possible, especially when it comes to their love lives. But even so, Gosling has let it slip on more than one occasion how valuable his relationship with McAdams was to him. "I had two of the greatest girlfriends of all time," Gosling once told The Times (via Us Weekly), referring to Sandra Bullock and McAdams. "I haven't met anybody who could top them."
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams' smooch won an award
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams shared one of the most memorable cinematic kisses in "The Notebook." And because of how steamy and iconic their lip-locking was, it came as no surprise when the two won Best Kiss at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. When it came time to accept the golden popcorn, the then-couple did not simply walk up to the podium and say thanks to everyone who made that scene possible. Instead, they walked to opposite sides of the stage, McAdams removed her coat, Gosling beckoned her over, and then she ran and leapt into his arms. When the two began to make out, the crowd went wild. Oh, and the song "She Will Be Love" by Maroon 5 blasted as Gosling and McAdams continued to kiss before they accepted an MTV Movie Award for their work in "The Notebook." It doesn't get much more 2005 than that, folks.
Gosling has spoken about his ex-girlfriend's kissing skills, singing her praises. "You have to be born with a magic mouth," he once told ET (via Fanpop). "Some have said about Rachel that she's kind of like what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar."
Why did Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling break up?
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were careful not to be too vocal about their relationship to the press, and the same can be said about their breakup, which they chose not to overly publicize. But despite not giving us in-depth answers for why they eventually split, Gosling once gave a vague explanation, placing the blame on their line of work. "When both people are in show business, it's too much show business," he said in GQ. "It takes all of the light, so nothing else can grow."
There is no denying both of their careers took off in a big way when they were in a relationship, and the pressure that comes with that level of fame may not always be a boon to a star's personal life. McAdams was blowing up after starring in hits like "Mean Girls," "The Notebook," and "The Wedding Crashers" consecutively. Meanwhile, Gosling's career skyrocketed after "The Notebook," and he proceeded to star in blockbuster films while he was dating McAdams.
Of course, there are also whispers about potential behind-the-scenes factors that might've put their relationship to bed. A source claimed to People that their courtship came to an end because Gosling was supposedly too dominant a personality. "Ryan is really controlling," a source that had been close with the pair revealed. "He has been directing her life – including her career choices – and that can get old."
Fans took their split personality
Breakups are hard enough as it is, but when there is an entire dedicated fanbase involved, it can be a million times more difficult to navigate. And that is exactly what Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams had to deal with following their relationship, which ended in 2007. According to the "La La Land" star, not only did he have to mend his own heart, but he had to mend the hearts of "Rachel + Ryan" stans around the globe. "Women are mad at me," he said of the split to GQ. "A girl came up to me on the street and she almost smacked me. ... I feel like I want to give people hugs, they seem so sad." He went on to add, "Rachel and I should be the ones getting hugs! Instead, we're consoling everybody else."
For years, fans of the former couple hoped for a reconciliation, but that hope was never quite realized. In 2008, outlets like OK! and Just Jared shared snaps of the two canoodling at a lunch, and naturally, this got tongues wagging. Alas, whatever was or wasn't going on apparently didn't turn into a full-fledged second attempt at a relationship.
Rachel McAdams admires her parents' marriage
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling seemed like one of the most adorable couples in Hollywood while they were together, but alas, it didn't last.
While we may never get the full story about what went wrong — and hey, we aren't entitled to the full story — the two have spoken about love life matters in general. In a 2011 interview with Elle, McAdams opened up about how her parents' relationship has shaped her own relationship expectations. "They are still together and still in love," McAdams said of her mom and dad. "I'm very blessed that way. I had a great example of love in front of me, and that's probably what makes me such a romantic because I've seen it firsthand." McAdams went on to say that her mother and father's dynamic set an incredibly high standard for her own love life. "You grow up and you assume that everyone is like that, and you quickly realize that they're not," she said.
We can't say for certain if that had anything to do with the dissolution of her relationship with Gosling, but we can say that it looks like the actors were able to remain on good terms with one another. The two ended up getting together to support one another over a year after their split. According to People, McAdams showed up to cheer on her ex during his DJ debut performance in 2008. What can we say, we love supportive exes.
Both actors have done well for themselves
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling experienced true stardom following "The Notebook." The former appeared in a number of major films around the time the romance movie premiered, but then she took a bit of a break from the biz. Following her hiatus, McAdams would nab other notable parts on the big screen, including "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Midnight in Paris," "Game Night," and "Spotlight." And with all that hard work, the star has managed to garner a net worth of $25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
McAdams might have stepped away from Hollywood to clear her head a bit, but Gosling kept both feet firmly planted in the spotlight following the success of "The Notebook." His career became even more lucrative as the years went by, and he went on to star in blockbuster hits such as "La La Land," "Blade Runner 2049," and "Crazy Stupid Love." Gosling has racked up a staggering net worth of $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Are the actors in relationships now?
Despite Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling not ending up together, it seems as though things have worked out just fine for the actors in their respective romantic lives. Gosling started a relationship with fellow actor Eva Mendes in 2011, and the two now share two daughters.
The pair met while playing a couple in the movie "The Place Beyond The Pines." On an episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Mendes shared she knew she was falling for him while they were filming the drama, yet she tried her best to suppress those feelings. The "Hitch" actor remembered telling herself at the time, "I'm not in love with him. What? I'm not in love!" She continued, "We were trying to be very professional." All these years later, and the super private couple seems to be going strong.
Meanwhile, Rachel McAdams has been in a relationship with screenwriter Jamie Linden since 2016, per People. They share two children. Of becoming a mom, McAdams once told The Times, "It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, hands down." The "Game Night" star keeps her family life extremely private, but every now and again, adorable photos of her with Linden will make their way to the internet. Needless to say, we are happy for everyone.