What you didn't know about Rachel McAdams' role in 'The Notebook'

Today marks the 10th anniversary of 'The Notebook,' so it's only fitting that on this Woman Crush Wednesday, we celebrate the star of the film: Rachel McAdams!

The actress starred in one of the greatest love stories of our time, but when she was cast in the role, she was a relative newcomer -- only having starred in 'The Hot Chick' prior to playing Allie Calhoun in the 2004 romance film.

In fact, she was actually at the premiere of 'The Hot Chick' when she got the script for 'The Notebook,' and she went in to audition for the part the very next day.

"I was very fortunate," Rachel told ET about getting the part. "I was sort of at the end of the line. I'm glad I just kind of squeaked in there."

Despite only having a few hours to prepare, according to her on-screen love interest, Ryan Gosling, the actress walked in the room with an air of confidence that got her the part right away.

"She just kind of went, whew, to do this incredible gamut of emotion," Gosling told ET while promoting the film.

Turns out, Rachel beat out quite a few actresses for the part -- including Ryan's former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Britney Spears, Reese Witherspoon and Ashley Judd.

Check out these engagement photos that imitate classic moments from the film:

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