By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:01am PDT, Jun 21, 2019
Not only did "The Notebook" catapult Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams to superstardom — it also made pretty much anyone who saw it shed a tear or two. (Don't lie, guys, you know you sobbed your way through it!) Now, the romantic tearjerker is turning 15. In celebration of the film's 15th anniversary on June 25, 2019, find out what the cast of this epic love story is up to today…
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Although he had been acting professionally for over a decade, it was "The Notebook" that made Ryan Gosling a mainstream success. Not only did he win the hearts of audiences — he also won over co-star Rachel McAdams, although the pair had a combative relationship during filming. They started dating after the film's release and were linked on and off until mid-2008. Ryan began dating Eva Mendes, with whom he co-starred in "The Place Beyond the Pines," in 2011. The pair welcomed daughter Esmeralda in 2014 and daughter Amada in 2016. After "The Notebook," Ryan starred in movies like "Blue Valentine," "Drive," "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "Blade Runner 2049." He's also appeared in "Half Nelson" and "La La Land," for which he was nominated for two Oscars. The former "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" child star most recently headlined the 2018 biopic "First Man."
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Rachel McAdams played Allie Hamilton, a wealthy heiress who falls in love with Noah, in "The Notebook."
After "The Notebook," Rachel McAdams quickly became a go-to gal for romances, starring in "The Time Traveler's Wife," "The Vow" and "About Time." She's also appeared in flicks like "Wedding Crashers," "Sherlock Holmes," "Doctor Strange," "The Family Stone" and "Spotlight," for which she earned an Oscar nomination. She more recently starred in 2018's "Game Night" and has signed on to appear in the comedy "Eurovision." The "Mean Girls" alum rebounded from Ryan Gosling with Josh Lucas. She would later be linked to "Midnight in Paris" co-star Michael Sheen and music manager Patrick Sambrook before finding love with screenwriter Jamie Linden in 2016. The couple welcomed a son in April 2018.
James Marsden starred as Lon Hammond Jr., Allie's very suitable fiancé, in "The Notebook."
When he starred in "The Notebook," James Marsden was married to Lisa Linde, daughter of country music singer Dennis Linde. But in 2011, the couple divorced after 11 years of marriage. James has three kids: two with Lisa and one with ex-girlfriend Rose Costa. He has been dating British musician Edei since 2015. James has had a pretty diverse movie career, from the "X-Men" series to the musical "Hairspray" to "Lee Daniels' The Butler." He also did a stint on "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon's eventual husband, Criss Chros. He starred as Teddy on the hit HBO show "Westworld" until 2018 and currently stars on the Netflix series "Dead to Me." James is slated to appear in the 2020 film "Sonic the Hedgehog." Does this guy have range or what?
James Garner played Duke, aka an older Noah, in "The Notebook."
Before "The Notebook," James Garner had a movie career that spanned 50 years. He was nominated for an Oscar for 1985's "Murphy's Romance." James also starred on two very successful TV shows: "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files." He didn't appear onscreen much after he suffered a stroke in 2008, but he did star in the movie "The Ultimate Life" in 2013. James' real-life love story was just as romantic as doting Duke's. He married Lois Clarke two weeks after meeting her at a political rally for Adlai Stevenson in 1956, and they were together until his 2014 death at 86 from a heart attack.
Gena Rowlands starred as an older Allie Calhoun, who suffered from dementia, in "The Notebook."
Gena Rowlands has kept busy since "The Notebook," appearing in films like "The Skeleton Key" and "Broken English" and TV shows like "Monk." The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner made a name for herself in the '60s and drew raves for her work in projects like 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence" and 1980's "Gloria," for which she earned a best actress Oscar nomination. She most recently appeared in 2014's "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks" and the 2017 short film "Unfortunate Circumstances." Gena shared three children with her first husband, actor-director John Cassavetes. She married businessman Robert Forrest in 2012, 23 years after John passed away.
Kevin Connolly starred as Fin, Noah's best friend, in "The Notebook."
After "The Notebook," Kevin Connolly went on to play another onscreen sidekick: E on HBO's "Entourage." But despite spending more than 20 years in Hollywood, Kevin has never achieved leading man status. He has, however, appeared in movies like "He's Not That Into You" and "Secretariat." Kevin's also directed a number of movies including "Dear Eleanor" and 2018's "Gotti," which was critically panned and holds a 0 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Kevin more recently guest starred on two 2019 episodes of "Oath." He's had a number of high-profile romances over the years including with Nicky Hilton, Haylie Duff, Lydia Hearst, Sabina Gadecki and Francesca Dutton, from whom he split in 2018.
Joan Allen played Anne Hamilton, Allie's mother, in "The Notebook."
Joan Allen has continued to work consistently since "The Notebook" with roles in "The Upside of Anger," "The Killing," "Impressionism," "The Family" and three "Bourne" movies as CIA deputy director Pamela Landy. In 2018, she starred in "The Waverly Gallery" on Broadway. Joan was married to Peter Friedman from 1990 until 2002. The former couple share a daughter, Sadie.
Sam Shepard starred as Frank Calhoun, Noah's devoted dad, in "The Notebook."
Sam Shepard has had two epic romances of his own. From 1969 until 1984, he was married to actress O-Lan Jones, with whom he has a son, Jesse. Sam later dated Jessica Lange for nearly three decades before splitting in 2009 after welcoming two kids together. After "The Notebook," Sam appeared in more than 20 movies including "August: Osage County," "Mud," "Cold in July" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." He starred on the critically acclaimed Netflix series "Bloodline" from 2014 to 2017. Sadly, Sam died in July 2017 from complications of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 73.
