50 Fun Facts About The Notebook

Who plays the young Noah Calhoun?

The director wanted someone unknown and 'not handsome'; the actor's first reaction to being offered the part was 'He's crazy.'

Who plays the young Allie Hamilton?

The same year she played Regina George in Mean Girls, a role so different that one critic said it was hard to tell it was the same actress.

Who directed The Notebook?

He cast his own mother, Gena Rowlands, as the older Allie, and his wife Heather Wahlquist as Allie's friend Sara.

The film is based on the debut novel of which author?

He wrote it in six months in 1994, inspired by his wife's grandparents, who had been married more than 60 years.

In what year is the couple's summer romance set?

The story then follows them through the war years to 1946, which the lead actor called a 'profound and formative' span to play.

In which state is Seabrook Island, where Noah and Allie meet, located?

The real town is about 20 miles southwest of Charleston, though none of the filming actually took place there.

Where does Noah work when he first meets Allie?

Allie later rushes there to apologize to him the morning her family leaves, but he is away.

Where does Noah threaten to drop from unless Allie agrees to a date?

The scene made Total Film's list of the 50 most romantic movie moments of all time.

Which New York school is Allie due to attend at the end of the summer?

The campus that briefly appears on screen is actually the College of Charleston.

What is the name of the abandoned house Noah dreams of restoring?

The real house used is a private residence on Wadmalaw Island that was made to look dilapidated with special effects.

For how long does Noah write to Allie every day after she leaves?

Her mother intercepts every one of them, and later hands over the whole bundle.

Who intercepts Noah's letters so they never reach their intended reader?

She later admits she once loved a lower-class man herself and wonders how her life would have gone had she chosen differently.

Noah's friend Fin is killed in which World War II engagement?

The wintry battlefield scenes were shot just outside Montreal.

Who plays Fin, Noah's best friend?

He went on to play Eric 'E' Murphy on Entourage, which premiered the following month.

Allie meets her fiancé Lon Hammond Jr. while doing what during the war?

Lon is a wounded captain and young lawyer from old Southern money, which delights her parents.

Who plays Lon Hammond Jr.?

Bradley Cooper was considered and the studio pushed for Cole Hauser before the part was cast.

What causes Allie to faint while trying on her wedding dress?

The picture shows the plantation house Noah has finished rebuilding, and it sends her back to Seabrook alone.

How is Noah able to afford to buy the plantation house after the war?

His father dies soon after, and Noah begins the repairs alone.

Who plays Noah's father, Frank Calhoun?

The younger lead said he drew inspiration from that co-star to give Noah a 'quiet strength'.

Who plays Anne Hamilton, the parent who bans Allie from dating Noah?

The uncredited ex-boyfriend she points out to Allie is played by Paul Johansson.

In the nursing home, the elderly Noah reads to Allie under what pseudonym?

He uses the false name so as not to startle her in her disoriented state.

Whose journal is the notebook that the elderly Noah reads aloud?

She wrote their story down so he could help her remember him, and he has kept his promise to read it daily.

Which standard do Noah and Allie dance to as 'their song' when she briefly recognises him?

The moment passes quickly; her dementia returns and she panics at the sight of him.

How does the film end for Noah and Allie?

In the novel Noah suffers a stroke rather than the heart attack shown in the film, and the ending is left more open.

Who plays the elderly Noah?

He asked his agent whether the script was for a TV movie before reading it again and seeing its appeal; it earned him a SAG nomination.

Gena Rowlands, who plays the elderly Allie, has what relationship to the film's director?

She won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama at the Golden Satellite Awards for the part.

Which director wanted to make the film in 1998 with Tom Cruise as Noah?

His other commitments got in the way, and two more directors came and went before the job was filled in 2002.

Early in development, which actor was set to play Noah, with Paul Newman as the older version?

After watching some Paul Newman movies he told Newman that he did not look like him, and dropped out.

The nationwide search for Allie came down to the eventual star and which pop singer?

Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon were among the many others considered.

Which actor was originally considered for the role of young Noah before the part went elsewhere?

The eventual Noah moved to Charleston for two months beforehand, rowing the Ashley River and making furniture.

To prepare for the role, the actor playing young Noah spent two months in Charleston doing what?

His co-star, meanwhile, took ballet and etiquette classes and worked with a dialect coach on the Southern accent.

Which real Lowcountry plantation served as Allie's summer house?

The nursing-home scenes were shot at Rice Hope Plantation in Georgetown County.

The film's dialogue suggests Noah's house once belonged to which Revolutionary War hero?

The 'Swamp Fox' never lived anywhere near Seabrook, whatever the script implies.

Which studio released The Notebook in June 2004?

The studio had held the rights since 1996, the year the novel came out.

Roughly how much did The Notebook gross worldwide against a budget of about $29M?

It opened only fourth at the box office and grew into a sleeper hit, then sold over 11 million DVDs.

Gosling and McAdams won which prize at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards?

The kiss in the rain was ranked number four on Total Film's list of the 50 best movie kisses.

What grade did audiences polled by CinemaScore give the film?

Critics were far cooler: Rotten Tomatoes settled at 54% and Metacritic at 53.

In 2019 UK Netflix subscribers noticed the film had been supplied with what?

Netflix said the version had been supplied in error and swapped back the original.

How much was the advance the novelist's agent secured for the book in 1995?

Agent Theresa Park had found the manuscript in her agency's slush pile.

Which singer-songwriter wrote the music and lyrics for the stage musical of The Notebook?

The musical shifted the story twenty years later, so Noah leaves for Vietnam rather than World War II.

Where on Broadway did the musical open in March 2024?

The show had its pre-Broadway run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in autumn 2022.

Gosling and McAdams were a real-life couple for how many years after making the film?

He has been with his The Place Beyond the Pines co-star Eva Mendes since 2011.

Which two writers share the screenplay credit for The Notebook?

Leven's early draft is what caught Steven Spielberg's eye in 1998 before the project passed through several directors.

Which Casino Royale director was in talks to helm The Notebook in 2001 before Cassavetes took over?

Sheridan had been attached in 1999 after Spielberg's other commitments pulled him away.

What classes did Rachel McAdams take in Charleston to prepare for playing Allie?

Gosling meanwhile moved to the city early, rowing the river and building furniture to get into Noah's head.

Where in South Carolina is the private house that Noah restores actually located?

It sits about 10 miles closer to Charleston than Seabrook, where most of the story is set.

Which campus appears on screen as Allie's New York school, Sarah Lawrence?

Production offices were set up at the old Charleston Naval Shipyard, and Cypress Gardens supplied the swan-filled waterways.

Which prize did Gena Rowlands win for playing the elderly Allie?

James Garner was nominated at the SAG Awards for his supporting turn as the elderly Noah.

Roughly how many DVD copies had The Notebook sold by February 2010?

The film was released on VHS and DVD in February 2005 and on Blu-ray in May 2010.

Who played the Older Allie and Older Noah when the Broadway musical opened in March 2024?

The show splits the couple into three pairs of actors across ages; it had been delayed from fall 2020 by the pandemic.