Washington [US], June 26 (ANI): Actress Gena Rowlands, celebrated for her role as the older Allie in ‘The Notebook’, has disclosed her five-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The revelation, shared by her son Nick Cassavetes, who directed the film, sheds light on a poignant journey paralleling her character’s struggles in the beloved movie, reported E! News.
Rowlands, now 93 years old, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 88, a disease that mirrored the storyline of ‘The Notebook’ where her character also grapples with dementia.
Nick Cassavetes spoke candidly about his mother’s condition in an interview obtained by E! News, reflecting on their shared experience both on and off-screen.
“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,” Nick revealed.
“She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy, we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us,” he added.
Gena Rowlands had previously shared how her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s influenced her decision to take on the challenging role in ‘The Notebook’.
As per E! News, in an earlier interview, she remarked, “The Notebook was particularly hard 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 gone for it, it’s just too hard.”
Despite the emotional difficulty of portraying such a role, Rowlands found solace and pride in working closely with her son on the film. “You’d think Nick would try to distance himself from me to maintain the director-actor balance,” she had noted earlier.
“But he didn’t. It struck me right then that he was so completely in charge as the director, but at the same time he was able to pull off a lovely show of tenderness and respect towards his mom,” Rowlands said.
Nick Cassavetes fondly recalled moments from the set of ‘The Notebook’, including a humorous incident involving reshoots for Rowlands’ final scenes with James Garner.
“She said, ‘Let me get this straight. We’re reshooting because of my performance?'” Nick recounted this in an interview obtained by E! News.
“We go to reshoots, and now it’s one of those things where mama’s pissed and I had asked her, ‘Can you do it, mom?’ She goes, ‘I can do anything,'” Nick said.
Reflecting on his mother’s remarkable talent, Nick shared a touching memory of her effortlessly producing tears on set.
“Teardrops came flying out of her eyes when she saw (Garner), and she burst into tears,” he recalled, adding, “And I was like, ‘Okay, well, we got that.'”
As ‘The Notebook’ clocks its twentieth anniversary, Nick Cassavetes finds himself reminiscing not only about the film’s impact but also about the profound personal moments shared with his mother during its making.
The news of Gena Rowlands’ Alzheimer’s diagnosis has sparked an outpouring of support and admiration from fans and fellow celebrities in the film industry. (ANI)
