The notebook star Gena Rowlands has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her son and film director Nick Cassavetes reveals.
Cassavetes, who directed the 2004 Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Ryan Gosling It is Rachel McAdamsI talked with Weekly entertainment about her 93-year-old mother’s tragic health problem, which mirrored that of her on-screen character, Allie.
O Mayo clinic defines Alzheimer’s disease as a “brain disorder” that “causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die.” This leads to “a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior and social skills.”
Rowlands played the older version of McAdams’ role, showing the character struggling with Alzheimer’s disease while her longtime love, Noah, played by Gosling as well as James Garner in her older years, read to her the story of two lovers unhappy. It ends up being the story of Allie and Noah’s romance, generating touching scenes of the two lovers at the end of the film.
“I got my mom to play the 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,” Cassavetes said. EW by Rowlands. “She has full-blown dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived through it, she took action and now it’s on us.”
Gena’s mother, Lady Rowlands, also suffered from the disease.
“I went through this with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have done it – it’s very difficult. It was a difficult but wonderful film,” said Gena. Oh Magazine in 2004.
Gena’s last credited role was in 2017 for the short Unfortunate circumstances. In addition to its role The notebookshe also had memorable roles in Hope Floats, The Skeleton Key, Paris, I Love You, Something to Talk About, and much more. She has a total of 106 acting credits to her name.
It was previously revealed that Britney Spears was initially in the running to play Allie after the pop star’s audition tape went viral.
In 2023, The notebookcasting director Matthew Berry told ET“Britney came in and surprised us all… I think she should really get back into (acting).”
He added that deciding between McAdams and Spears “was a very, very difficult contest between the two of them.”
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