Director Nick Cassavetes cast Ryan Gosling in the wildly popular romantic drama The Notebook specifically because he thought the actor was not handsome or cool in any traditional sense.

A closer look

Director Nick Cassavetes cast Ryan Gosling in the wildly popular romantic drama The Notebook specifically because he thought the actor was not handsome or cool in any traditional sense. He literally called Gosling into his office and told him he wanted him for the lead role because he looked like a regular, slightly awkward guy, completely ignoring the fact that the man possesses the jawline of a Greek deity. This just goes to show how deeply warped Hollywood's perception of human attractiveness really is, when a guy who looks like a genetically engineered supermodel is considered the perfect choice for a plain, unassuming dirt-poor mill worker. Meanwhile, actual regular-looking people are banished to playing quirky background extras