Once of the world's best-loved romance movies, The Notebook, has just turned ten, marking a decade since the then little-known actors Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were catapulted into the spotlight with their breath-taking performance and onscreen chemistry.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, the story charts two lovers who fall in love during the early 1940s. Local country boy Noah Calhoun and heiress Allie Hamilton embark on a romance despite a myriad of issues, including the implications of their different classes and disapproval of Allie's parents.

Gosling's role as Noah was apparently secured fairly early on but director Nick Cassavetes had an extensive hunt for a leading lady to play Allie. In a newly-released audition tape, it's clear to see why Cassavetes and Gosling knew instantly that they wanted the Mean Girls actress for the movie.

Watch Rachel McAdams' 'The Notebook' audition tape here.

McAdams read the scene in which Allie and Noah are arguing about their relationship: he wants her to be with him whilst she still feels an allegiance to her wealthy fiancé. The high tension scene is wrought with emotion and frustration, which McAdams perfectly conveys in her passionate audition.

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"I read the script the night before and bawled my eyes out," McAdams, now 35, confessed in a movie featurette. "It was the best audition experience I've ever had." Meanwhile, Cassavetes recalled that nine "very well-known" actresses had auditioned for the role but "When Miss McAdams came in and read, it was apparent that she was 'the one.'"

"I didn't know who she was," the director admitted before revealing that Rachel had been "last-minute addition." He said that of the nine well-know stars "some of them were really, really great, but when Ms. McAdams came in and read it was apparent that she was the one," via E!.

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"She left and Nick and I were just like, 'Oh my God,' we gave each other a big hug, and it was just such a big relief," Gosling said while Cassavetes added, "At the end of the day, we went with the best person for the job." Even watching McAdams' bare bones, out of costume performance now is enough to send a shiver down your spine. One of the most effective aspects of the movie was Allie and Noah's believable romance, which translated into real-life dating for Gosling and McAdams.

Rachel McAdams
On The Tenth Anniversary Of 'The Notebook,' It's Time To Watch Rachel McAdams' Audition.