Star of “The Notebook”
Gena Rowlands suffers from Alzheimer’s disease
Gena Rowlands performing in Los Angeles.
© Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com
Gena Rowlands, who played a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s in “The Notebook,” is battling the disease herself, her son revealed.
Actress Gena Rowlands (94) is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This was announced by her son, director Nick Cassavetes (65), who shot the film “The Notebook” (2004) with his mother. He told Entertainment Weekly that it was “crazy” that his mother played a woman suffering from dementia in the romantic film and is now battling the progressive disease herself.
The director and actor said of the film: “I got my mother to play the older Allie and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and dealing with it authentically, and now she’s had Alzheimer’s for five years.” His mother played the older version of Rachel McAdams’ (45) character in the film 20 years ago. Cassavetes continued: “She’s completely demented. And it’s so crazy – we experienced it, she played it, and now it’s our turn.”
“It was a tough but wonderful film”
Gena Rowlands, who was awarded an honorary Oscar for her lifetime achievement in 2015 after two nominations, was apparently initially hesitant to accept the role. “This last film – ‘The Notebook’, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks – was particularly difficult because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s. I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have agreed to do it,” she told “O Magazine” in 2004. “It’s just very difficult. It was a hard but wonderful film,” she explained.
Nick Cassavetes also told “Entertainment Weekly” that he still thinks the film is “pretty good” after two decades. “It’s always a shock when you hear that so much time has passed, but it makes sense. I’m just glad it exists,” he said in the interview. “I’m very proud of it.”