Britney Spears’ Emotional ‘The Notebook’ Audition Tape Will Blow You Away

In a different cinematic universe, Britney Spears could have played Allie in The Notebook.

The pop superstar’s audition tape for the iconic romance film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel was released by The Daily Mail on Monday (Oct. 23), in which Spears breaks down in tears while reading a particularly emotional scene.

While Rachel McAdams was ultimately cast as Allie opposite Ryan Gosling’s Noah, casting director Matthew Barry told the publication that Spears beat out a number of famous actresses including Claire Danes, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Jessica Biel for the role. “Britney wasn’t just good – she was phenomenal,’ Barry told The Daily Mail of the 2002 audition. “It was a tough decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day.”

Spears even recalled her screen test in her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, set for release on Tuesday (Oct. 24). “The Notebook casting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it,” she wrote. “If I had, instead of working on my album In the Zone, I’d have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night.”

The superstar starred alongside Gosling, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera in The Mickey Mouse Club variety show from 1993 to 1994. She’s also had a number of acting roles throughout her career, most notably in 2002’s Crossroads and later as a guest star in season three of How I Met Your Mother.

Watch Spears’ two-minute audition tape below.