Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were one of Hollywood's most iconic young couples both
on and off the screen.
After playing Allie and Noah in The Notebook, they dated off-camera and were a storybook
romance come-to-life for years.
So what really happened to end this seemingly perfect relationship?
Grab your notebook — the list of reasons may surprise you.
Mutual surrender
Gosling and McAdams have discussed their relationship pretty openly, but they haven't been too open
about their breakup.
The couple managed to keep those dirty details under wraps.
Still, without elaborating too much, Gosling did hint to GQ that their split was ultimately
mutual.
He explained:
"The only thing I remember is we both went down swingin' and we called it a draw."
"Are you saying you want to break it off?"
"I'm saying we see how it goes later on."
Fan Fiction
The Notebook was one of the most popular movies of 2004.
So, naturally, when fans found out that Allie and Noah were dating in real life, they almost
couldn't handle the cuteness.
In fact, to this day, there are some fans out there who have a hard time separating
Allie and Noah from Rachel and Ryan.
And they're still wishing and praying that the swoon-worthy couple will get back together.
"Noah, just wait a minute, we're not really breaking up are we?
C'mon, this is just a fight we're having and tomorrow it'll be like it never happened,
right?"
Unfortunately, the adoration of all-things McGosling may have put too much pressure and
strain on the couple's high-profile relationship.
Even Gosling noted that fans were downright pissed at him when they found out about the
break-up in 2007.
He told GQ:
"Women are mad at me.
A girl came up to me on the street and she almost smacked me.
Like, 'How could you?
How could you let a girl like that go?'
"Go!
I lost you once, I think I can do it again.
Ever thought that's what you really wanted?"
"I feel like I want to give people hugs, they seem so sad.
Rachel and I should be the ones getting hugs!
Instead, we're consoling everybody else."
Rocky beginnings
Unlike their characters in The Notebook, Gosling and McAdams' relationship wasn't exactly love
at first sight.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
The film's director, Nick Cassavetes, told VH1 that the actors got along so badly on
set that Gosling wanted another actress to take the place of McAdams to rehearse his
scenes.
"We're already fighting!"
"Well, that's what we do.
We fight!
You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're being
a pain in the ass!
Cassavetes told VH1:
"They were really not getting along one day on set.
Really not.
And Ryan came to me, and he says, 'Nick come here.
'Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with
me?'
He says, 'I can't.
I can't do it with her.
I'm just not getting anything from this.'"
Cassavetes forced his actors to yell it out — which helped them move forward.
"If you leave here, I hate you!"
"Have you been paying attention to anything that's been happening?"
"I guess not, I think I must have misread all those signals."
"I guess you did!"
It didn't solve all their problems, but it made filming bearable.
And it later paved the road to romance for the two stars.
Soulmate mismatch
Like plenty of temporary romances, Gosling and McAdams most likely broke up simply because
they weren't "the one" for each other.
But they're not down for the count.
McAdams has rebounded pretty nicely, being linked to handsome hunks like Jake Gyllenhaal,
Taylor Kitsch and most recently screenwriter Jamie Linden.
Gosling has since found true love by way of Eva Mendes, whom he met on the set of The
Place Beyond the Pines in 2011, and with whom he has two daughters.
Gosling told Hello!:
"I know that I'm with the person I'm supposed to be with,"
He says the one thing he looks for in a female partner is "that she's Eva Mendes.
There's nothing else I'm looking for."
Showbiz Pressure
Gosling opened up to the UK newspaper, The Times, about his breakups with McAdams and
Sandra Bullock.
He blamed the limelight for getting in the way of the relationships with his two "greatest
girlfriends."
Gosling told The Times:
"When both people are in showbusiness, it's too much show-business.
It takes all of the light, so nothing else can grow."
Now that he's in a serious relationship with actress Mendes, only time will tell if their
love can withstand the glitz and glamour of showbiz.
Gosling's Success
After The Notebook hit theaters in 2004, Gosling became one of the most sought-after hunks
in Hollywood.
And only a couple years later, he received an Academy Award nomination for the indie
drama Half-Nelson.
With that level of superstardom, it can be tough to have much of a relationship with
anyone or anything besides your career.
In fact, even Gosling himself admitted to The Times in 2011 that he was "in a committed
relationship with film.
I'm giving as much to it as a marriage."
Baby Mama Drama
According to OK!
Magazine, Gosling and McAdams' split was fueled in part by McAdams not being ready to have
children.
Although those rumors were never confirmed, Gosling has expressed on at least one occasion
his desire to settle down and raise a family.
Celebuzz reported Gosling saying:
"I'd like to be making babies but I'm not, so I'm making movies.
When someone comes along I don't think I'll be able to do both but I'm fine with that.
I'll make movies until I make babies."
"Is this true?
You're a daddy for a second time?"
"I am."
"What?
Ironically, People Magazine reported that McAdams' split from actor Michael Sheen in
2013 because he wasn't ready to settle down and have a family with her.
So maybe it was just a matter of finding the right person to parent with.
"What do you want?"
"It's not that simple."
"What. Do. You. Want?!"
Friends 'til the end
The end of Gosling and McAdams' relationship wasn't a messy Hollywood breakup splattered
all over magazine covers.
In fact, after they parted ways, Gosling had nothing but nice things to say about his former
flame.
Gosling told GQ:
"People do Rachel and me a disservice by assuming we were anything like the people in that movie.
Rachel and my love story is a hell of a lot more romantic than that."
The two have reportedly remained friends after their breakup.
In fact, rumors have also swirled that the two have stayed connected through phone calls.
According to the Daily Mail, McAdams allegedly called Gosling multiple times for advice to
get over her breakup with Michael Sheen.
She also reportedly called him to congratulate him on becoming a father, which allegedly
caused tension between Gosling and Mendes.
But Gosling feels a loyalty to his former co-star and friend.
So, perhaps fans of The Notebook may one day get a Gosling-McAdams movie reunion after
all.
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