You Will NEVER Believe Why Ryan Gosling Was Cast In The Notebook

The Notebook put Ryan Gosling on the map as one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs.  Since then he has been meme-ified and gif-ifed a bazillion times because of his brooding good looks. Ryan played Noah in the 2004 romance.  Which is why we were SUPER shocked to find out the reason he was cast in the 2004 film was because he ISN'T handsome. So, apparently when director Nick Cassavetes invited the star over to tell him he had gotten the part, he also served him with a majorly back-handed compliment (we THINK there's a compliment in there somewhere). The star is married to Eva Mendes. He apparently said: "I want you to play this role because you're not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. "You're not handsome, you're not cool, you're just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts." Ryan dated his co-star Rachel McAdams for four years. Of course, Ryan went on to play the cheeky romantic, Noah, opposite Rachel McAdams, and he looked pretty darn handsome to us! *swoon* H/T Cosmopolitan