Gena Rowlands is an acting legend. The 94-year-old star’s unbeatable career spans six decades, with several Oscar nominations and roles in many classic films.
If you’re of a certain age, it’s quite possible that the first time you saw Gena on screen was in the 2004 romantic blockbuster drama. The notebookwhich is based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.
In the film, Gena portrayed the older version of Allie, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. (Rachel McAdams, as you know, played Allie’s younger version.)
The Mayo Clinic defines Alzheimer’s as “a brain disease that gets worse over time. It is characterized by changes in the brain that lead to deposits of certain proteins. In Alzheimer’s disease, the brain shrinks and brain cells eventually die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia – a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior, and social skills. These changes affect a person’s ability to function.”
New Line Cinema / ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy of Everett Collection
The notebook was also directed by Gena’s son Nick Cassavetes. His father was the late actor and legendary filmmaker John Cassavetes, who also made several films with Gena, such as A woman under the influence And Gloria.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nick revealed that Gena has also been battling Alzheimer’s for five years.
“I brought in my mom to play the older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanted to be authentic about it,” Nick told the publication. “And now she’s had Alzheimer’s for five years.”
“She’s completely demented. And it’s so crazy – we experienced it, she acted it out, and now it’s on us.”
As EW points out, Gena’s mother later suffered from Alzheimer’s as well – and in a 2004 interview with O magazine, she reflected on her role in The notebook in the light of their family history.
“This last – The notebookbased on the novel by Nicholas Sparks – was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s,” she said. “I went through that with my mother and if Nick hadn’t directed me, I don’t think I would have dared to do it – it’s just too hard.”
“It was a tough but wonderful film.”
You can read the entire interview with Nick here.
