‘The Notebook’ star Gena Rowlands has Alzheimer’s: ‘She’s in full dementia,’ son Nick Cassavetes says
Legendary actress Gena Rowlands has Alzheimer’s disease.
Her son, director Nick Cassavetes, shared the heartbreaking news with Entertainment Weekly Tuesday while celebrating the 20th anniversary of his and Rowlands’ film “The Notebook,” in which her character, Allie, develops dementia.
“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,” said Cassavetes, whose famous grandmother Lady Rowlands also suffered from the degenerative disease.
“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, 94, discussed in 2004 how her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s had influenced her decision to play Allie in the film adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ debut 1996 novel.
“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,” she shared with O Magazine. “It was a tough but wonderful movie.”
Cassavetes, 65, said that the emotional film, which also starred Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams and James Garner, “holds up pretty good” after two decades.
“It’s always a shock to hear that as much time has gone by as it has, but it makes sense,” he told EW.
“I’m just happy that it exists.”
“It seems to have worked, and I’m very proud of it,” the filmmaker added.
Gena is best known for her acclaimed collaborations with her late husband, John Cassavetes, including the films “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980). She received Oscar nominations for both roles.
Her last feature film was the 2014 comedy “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” co-starring Cheyenne Jackson.
