The cult $120 million movie Jessica Biel calls the one that got away: “Wasn’t meant for me”

Jessica Biel says *The Notebook* remains one of the roles she wonders about missing out on. She auditioned for the romantic drama while filming *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*, but the part went to Rachel McAdams; Biel reflects that the role “wasn’t meant for me”.

The film became a major hit and helped establish McAdams and Ryan Gosling as prominent stars. Biel instead took on a range of thriller, horror and action roles, later earning acclaim for *The Sinner* and working as an executive producer. She says it is impossible to know how her career might have changed if she had been cast.