James Marsden Talks About the Moment He Knew ‘The Notebook’ was Very Special

Almost 16 years have passed since The Notebook released. However, it is still an iconic love story with unforgettable characters. Recently, James Marsden who played Lon Hammond, reminisced the moment he knew it was a special film.

Based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel, The Notebook is unlike any other chick flick

Directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Jeremy Leven, The Notebook made Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams Hollywood stars. Not only that, but the on-screen couple also became Hollywood’s most loved off-screen couple. Although it is based on Nicholas Sparks’ book, the film has gained a cult-following and surpassed the success of the book. Apart from the main protagonists, the film has a stellar supporting cast including James Marsden. While his character is not a clear cut villain, that is how the audience perceived it. He plays Lon Hammond, the man who almost stole Allie from Noah. Despite his incredible performance, James Marsden has felt the wrath of the fans of the film. Talking about it, he said:

“When the movie became such a phenomenon, people would come up to me on the street and be like, ‘Why were you trying to get in their way?! They were supposed to be together.’ It was like, ‘Ahh, I didn’t do anything. It was a job. I don’t know.’”

Recently, James Marsden talked about the moment when he felt the film was going to be a special one

During an interview, James Marsden recalled how incredible The Notebook was. He said:

“You know, there were moments where it felt like, ‘Is this, like, really schmaltzy? Is this…Are people just going to roll their eyes at this movie. But then I remember seeing some of Ryan [Gosling] and Rachel [McAdams]’s scenes and [James] Garner and Gena Rowlands’ stuff and I was like, ‘Wow, [director] Nick Cassavetes, he’s making something special here.”

However, it was not until the premiere that it really made sense to James Marsden.

“I remember going to the premiere…and they were passing out Kleenexes. And they were like, ‘We’ve tested the movie. Trust us, we need them. They need them.’ And I remember seeing the movie and I was crying like a baby—like we all did. And I remember going to the bathroom afterwards and there were grown men splashing water on their face in the bathroom. And I was like, ‘Man, that was something very, very special.'”

Indeed, this film can be categorized as a classic. Its time to re-watch!