Together at the June 21, 2004 World Premiere of "The Notebook," Ryan Gosling and James Garner and the other "The Notebook" cast members were greeted by screams from very enthusiastic female fans. Here's what the two versions of the character Noah Calhoun have to say about making this romantic movie:
INTERVIEW WITH RYAN GOSLING:
Are you a romantic?
If I eat a huge meal and I can get the girl to rub my belly, I think that’s about as romantic as I can think of.
That sounds like something romantic on the girl's part. You seem to have quite a fan club. What’s it like to be lusted after?
My mother has hired all those people. She pays them.
Your following should get even bigger after they see you as the romantic lead in “The Notebook.”
(Laughing) I don’t think that is true.
What’s it like working with Rachel McAdams?
Lovely, and the truth is I probably wouldn’t have done the film if she wouldn’t have done it.
Was there immediate chemistry between the two of you?
I think we just knew that we had a movie when Rachel walked in the room.
This is a real romantic tale and it’s coming out against action/special effects films. Is it nice to see a story like this get made?
Yeah, I think it’s nice too, to see it come to fruition as well, see it come to an end. A lot of love stories when they come to the end, they end. We kind of pick up the storyline and I figure that’s what makes it interesting.
Could you ever imagine yourself doing what your character does?
When I read the script, I thought about that. “Would I behave the same way in my real life?” I try to play characters who are different from myself, so I feel like this character is someone who is really different. I actually think that if I did what he did in this movie, I would get a restraining order put against me. The fact that you think it’s romantic is great – and why I liked it.
Is this movie a natural progression from the indie movies you normally do?
I don’t think you can discriminate against budgets, you know? I’m an actor, I guess, so I’m just trying to play as many characters as I can. If there’s a character I think I can play, and they’re going to let me do it, I’ll do it whether it’s $10 or $1 million or more.
INTERVIEW WITH JAMES GARNER:
What was it like filming "The Notebook?"
To make it was just like any other picture. You go to work and you go home.
No more love on this set than normal?
Not that I know of. Not on the set (laughing). Being married for 48 years, I wasn’t looking for that.
48 years, and you met your wife and married her extremely quickly.
I met my wife and married her 14 days later. It’s a lot like this movie in the sense that Ryan [Gosling’s] character, who plays me when I’m young, sees her at the carnival and falls absolutely madly in love. And that’s pretty much what I did. I saw my wife at a pool, flipped over her, and 14 days later we were married.
What’s nice about this movie is it isn’t a cheesy love story, it didn’t need to end on the happiest note – yet it’s a very touching ending.
There was a wonderful ending to it. I felt it was kind of uplifting in a way, but we won’t talk about the ending itself. You’re right, it’s not a cheesy love story. It’s sincere and when those kids are young, they have a great time.
Why don’t we see many love stories on the screen anymore?
Because they’re not a 'blockbuster.' You don’t blow up a world in the first five minutes. Everybody wants blockbusters. I like to see a few pictures now and then that have to do with people and have relationships, and that’s what I want to do films about. I don’t want to see these sci-fi movies, and I don’t want to do one of those. I don’t understand it.
And finally getting the chance to work with Gena Rowlands…
She’s a sweetheart. What a princess.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
More Interviews from the World Premiere of "The Notebook" - Rachel McAdams / James Marsden / Nicholas Sparks / Producer Mark Johnson
