Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
A never-before-seen audition for the cult classic film The Notebook shows an emotional read by singer and actress Britney Spears. She was up for the role of Allie Hamilton, which was ultimately given to Rachel McAdams. Watch the audition inside.
The 2004 drama and romance film has stolen the hearts of many since its debut. The Notebook stars Ryan Gosling and McAdams, but most fans would have never guessed pop sensation Britney Spears was up for the part of Allie.
According to the Daily Mail, the video was buried for decades by casting director Matthew Barry. There was even an eBay listing in 2021 offering to sell the tape for $1 million. The 2002 tape was released online in an exclusive article published by The Daily Mail.
In the audition, Spears sobs as she reads lines for nearly three minutes across from Gosling for a co-star role in the beloved film.
Barry shared that Spears impressed the producers, saying “Britney blew us all away, our jaws were on the floor.” He also adds that she was the lead contender for the role until McAdams read for the part.
Spears has circulated the news with her viral social media videos and recently with the release of her long-awaited memoir The Woman In Me. The pop star discussed losing the movie role to McAdams saying, “Even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on the Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it.”
According to People, she thought the role would be more suitable for someone who could withstand portraying someone else. “I imagine there are people in the acting field who have dealt with something like that,” she added. “Where they had trouble separating themselves from a character. I hope I never get close to that occupational hazard again. Living that way, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up. After a while you don’t know what’s real anymore.”
The Notebook was based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1996 novel about a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s, while their romance is framed by the couple in their twilight years while one of them suffers from Alzheimer’s. The film was directed by Nick Cassavetes and grossed $115 million worldwide.
Aside from her growing up as a star on the “Mickey Mouse Club,” Spears did star in a film before The Notebook with the 2002 coming-of-age dramedy Crossroads.
The star’s upcoming memoir will be released Oct. 24. It tells the story of her decades-long career, growing up in entertainment, her various personal relationships and her 13-year conservatorship, which ended in November 2021. Among other revelations in Spears’ book is that she had an abortion while she was dating singer, Justin Timberlake, calling it “one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”
Check out her emotional, never-before-seen The Notebook audition below:
