OVERLAY REPORT

While much of *The Notebook* (2004) followed the screenplay by Jan Sardi and Jeremy Leven (based on Nicholas Sparks' novel), several of the film's most memorable moments were improvised or significantly shaped by the actors, **Ryan Gosling** and **Rachel McAdams**. The most prominent and well-documented improvised scenes include: ### 1. The "What Do You Want?" Confrontation The most famous improvised moment is the high-tension scene where Noah (Ryan Gosling) confronts Allie (Rachel McAdams) about her future. After spending the night together, Noah demands to know who she is going to choose: him or her fiancé, Lon. * **Specific Detail:** The line **"What do you want? What do you want?"** was not in the script. According to director Nick Cassavetes, Gosling came up with the repetitive, desperate questioning on the spot. * **The Context:** Cassavetes noted that Gosling "just knew it" and felt the moment needed that specific intensity. The director allowed the cameras to keep rolling, giving the actors the freedom to find the emotional truth of the scene through improvisation. This sequence eventually became one of the most iconic (and meme-worthy) parts of the film. ### 2. The Ice Cream "Messy" Date During an early date where Noah and Allie are walking through the town, there is a playful moment where they eat ice cream. * **Specific Detail:** Allie's act of playfully smashing ice cream onto Noah’s face—and his subsequent reaction—was largely spontaneous. The actors were encouraged to be playful and "live in the moment" to establish the genuine, lighthearted chemistry of young love. * **The Context:** This was part of a larger effort by the director to make the 1940s-era romance feel authentic and modern rather than overly rehearsed or stiff. ### 3. Physical Cues in the Street Dance/Lying Scene While the dialogue for the scene where Noah and Allie lie down in the middle of the street was scripted, many of the physical interactions between Gosling and McAdams were ad-libbed. * **Specific Detail:** The way they bickered, laughed, and moved around each other during the dance and the "lying in the street" sequence was influenced by the actors' evolving chemistry. * **The Context:** At this point in production, the actors had moved past their initial real-life animosity (which was so severe that Gosling had once asked to have McAdams replaced) and began using their "combative" energy to fuel the characters' passionate relationship. ### 4. General Dialogue and Emotional Depth Director Nick Cassavetes was a proponent of allowing actors to "dig deep" and be authentic. He frequently encouraged Gosling and McAdams to talk through their scenes and offer their own opinions on how their characters would react. * **Audition Origins:** Even during Rachel McAdams' audition, she and Gosling were reportedly "electric," and some of that initial spontaneous back-and-forth was carried into the final filming. Gosling noted that McAdams was "able to fight for her opinions," which allowed for a more collaborative and less "manipulated" performance. **Note on "If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird":** Contrary to popular belief, this famous line was **not** improvised. Ryan Gosling famously admitted in interviews that he actually **disliked** the line when he first read it in the script, fearing it wouldn't "spark joy." However, the physical movement of the "bird" scene and the way the two interacted in the water during that sequence were refined by the actors through their on-set performances.