"A Walk To Remember" Hit The Big Screen 16 Years Ago So Here Are 13 Facts You Might Not Have Known

Alright, full disclosure, as a man, I have grown to hate any movie that is associated with a Nicholas Sparks novel: that is except A Walk To Remember. I will fully admit that it was one of my guilty pleasures when it came to movies in the early 2000s, mostly because I had a rather strong crush on the female lead Mandy Moore.

The movie turned 16-years-old earlier this month, and we felt like it was time to look back on the clear-cut chick flick that even men don't hate.

1. This was Mandy Moore's first leading role.

She had previously had a small part in The Princess Diaries.

2. Shane West and Mandy Moore traded professional advice.

Moore was having some issues with certain aspects of filming, like where to stand and when, so West gave her lessons on it. West also said that if he ever went on tour with his band, Moore would be his first call.

3. Moore and West still keep in touch to this day.

Sure, it's mostly done by email, but 16 years is still a pretty long friendship, especially in Hollywood.

4. There was a six year age gap between the stars.

Moore was only 17 and West was 23. Moore later said that at the time, West was the oldest guy she had ever kissed at that point.

5. He was also her first onscreen kiss.

6. Moore and West started practicing one of their kissing scenes the first day on set.

7. The first scene to be filmed was when the boy falls from the water tower.

The first scene to be filmed was the actually the first scene from the movie where the trouble in Landon's life actually comes to a head. That fall looked like it hurt a hell of a lot.

8. Because she was a minor, Moore's workload was restricted.

Because she was under 18, Moore was only allowed to film for 10 hours each day, so the crew had to make them count.

9. She was also legally required to study.

Again, her age came into play. Moore was required to receive 15 hours of tutoring every week, and had a tutor on set to work with her each time she had a break from filming

10. Switchfoot recorded the soundtrack because Moore was a fan.

They were an pretty much unknown Christian band that got their big break because Moore happened to be a big fan of their music.

11. A Walk To Remember was Sparks's third novel.

The book the movie was based off of was actually the writer's third kick at the can. They did take some artistic liberties with the screen writing.

12. The movie and book were set in different decades.

While the movie was set in the late 90s, the book was actually set in the 1950s.

13. The story was based off of Sparks's sister.

Sparks's sister was actually diagnosed with cancer, and her boyfriend proposed to her because she wanted to get married before she died.

It really was a good movie.