1. Mandy Moore, who started her career as a pop star with only a supporting role in The Princess Diaries on her resume, competed for the role of Jamie after reading the Nicholas Sparks novel and falling in love with the character and story.
In 2010, she told the Los Angeles Times, “I remember feeling so visceral that I couldn’t read because I was crying and almost hyperventilating.” “This is my first movie, and I know some people will say it’s cliche, tear-jerking, or cheesy, but for me, it’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
2. However, according to Shane West, someone else was in the running for the lead role, not Moore. Landon’s character was said to be romancing a terminally ill teenager.
“There were other names in contention for the role of Mandy, but I won’t say them right now,” West sheepishly told Entertainment Weekly. “I remember being reluctant about the idea, but I’m glad it didn’t happen.”
3. West didn’t reveal the actress he was competing with, but director Adam Shankman revealed that she was also another young singer.
“They made me watch Jessica Simpson in the studio,” he told Elle. “But as I was driving up Laurel Canyon, I heard Mandy’s song ‘I Wanna Be With You’ and wondered who that little angel’s voice was. I went to the Virgin record store and saw her face and fell over my head. I said, ‘That’s my girlfriend.’
