‘The Notebook’ star Gena Rowlands winds up with her character's disease

Recently, during the 20th anniversary celebrations of the classic cult movie "The Notebook" (2004), it came to light that Gena Rowlands, who portrayed the older version of Rachel McAdams' character (Allie) in the film, has been battling Alzheimer's. This news is a shocking turnaround, as her character in the movie also struggled with Alzheimer's.

Renowned director and actor Nick Cassavetes, who also happens to be her real-life son, disclosed that his 94-year-old mother has been contending with Alzheimer's for the last five years. 

As per Entertainment Weekly, Cassavetes bridged the gap between his mother's struggle and that of Allie's, noting that both are grappling with the same devastating neurodegenerative condition.

He mentioned, "I cast my mom as the older Allie, and we spent a lot of time discussing Alzheimer's and tried to live up to the character. Now, for the past five years, she has had Alzheimer's." 

He added, "She is now in full dementia. It's so surreal — we lived through it, she acted it, and now it's winding up in our lives." Rowland's character in the romantic movie also suffered from dementia.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Rowland's mother had also suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which made the topic sensitive for her. In a 2004 interview with O magazine, she shared that witnessing her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's had influenced her decision to take on the role of Allie in the movie.

She described the role as "particularly hard" and said, "I experienced that with my mother, and if Nick hadn't directed the film, I don't think I would have accepted it — it was just too difficult. It was tough but rewarding at the same time."

Looking back on the shooting days of "The Notebook", Cassavetes remembered a specific incident where she was asked to reshoot a scene and couldn't believe it was because of her performance. He remarked, "We went to reshoots, and it was one of those times when mama was upset. I asked her, 'Can you do it, mom?' She responded, 'I can do anything.' And she certainly did."

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