Gena Rowlands – best known for “The Pocket Book” – is unfortunately battling Alzheimer’s disease…a heartwarming update after she played a key character with the same disease.
The son of the actress and director of ‘Pocket book’ Nick Cassavetes shared the information on Tuesday with Weekly Leisure – this while celebrating the 20th anniversary of his beloved and iconic romance film… which he directed and his mother starred in as Allie in her later years.
NC says… “I got my mom to play the older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and looking forward to being honest about it, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s. She has full dementia. And it’s so crazy – we lived it, she took action and now it’s on us.”
Keep in mind… the massive display adaptation of Nicholas Sparks‘starry romance James Garner as Duke, a resident at a nursing home telling Gena’s Allie a love story… who, of course, also starred Ryan Gosling It is Rachel McAdams.
At the end of the film, it’s revealed that Duke is actually the older version of Ryan’s character Noah… and he’s trying to help the older Allie get her memories back.
It’s exciting, to say the least… and with this newest real-life twist, doubly so.
While “The Pocket Book” may be hitting too close to home for Gena and her family, Nick told the outlet he’s pleased with the film… and that it still holds up 2 decades later.
He continued… “It’s always a shock to hear this since so much time has passed, but it’s smart. I’m just glad it exists. It seems to have worked and I’m really happy with it.”
Gena – daughter of the actress Rowland Girlwho was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s before her death – won four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and two Oscar nominations before retiring in 2015.
She collaborated with her filmmaker husband, João Cassavetesat a variety of events – including “A Lady Below the Affect” and “Gloria”.
A living legend, without a doubt.