In an interview, Gosling and McAdams admitted that Britney Spears, with whom Ryan had already worked on The Mickey Mouse Club, had originally auditioned for the role of Allie. Rachel was, in a way, the last in line, but she ultimately passed the selection process. Later on, in the midst of filming, the actress was again on the verge of losing the role.

Gosling asked the director to find a replacement for McAdams due to him not getting along with her and not feeling anything when interacting with the actress on set. However, they hit it off soon after and things started going smoothly.