When Oscar winner Gena Rowlands appeared in “The Notebook” 20 years ago, she played an older version of Rachel McAdams' character living with Alzheimer's. She now lives with the disease.
The prolific 94-year-old actress, widow of director John Cassavetes, suffers from Alzheimer's, as revealed in a recent interview by her son and director of “The Notebook,” Nick Cassavetes. For Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker recalled the 20 years of “The Notebook” and analyzed one of his most emotional moments starring his mother.
“I got my mom to play Allie, the oldest, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer's and wanting to be real with it, and now, for the last five years, she's had Alzheimer's,” Cassavetes said in the interview, published on Tuesday. .
“He is in full dementia,” Cassavetes added, before reflecting on the life that now imitates his art. “She's crazy: we lived it, she acted and now she depends on us,” she said.
In “The Notebook,” Rowlands' Allie and James Garner's Noah (an older version of Ryan Gosling's heartthrob) recall tender memories of their decades-long romance, all documented in a diary. After a moment of recognition and a slow dance, Allie forgets who her lover is and pushes him away.
“What do you want? What are you doing here?” Rowlands' Allie tells Garner's Noah. “Don't come near me.”
Cassavetes didn't go into detail about her mother's battle with Alzheimer's, but recalled her confidence behind the scenes about her acting abilities. He told EW that he's still proud of “The Notebook” 20 years later: “I'm happy it exists.”
Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that progresses over time. “It causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to eventually die,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, which is a “gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior and social skills” that can affect a person's ability to perform everyday tasks.
Mayo Clinic says approximately 6.5 million people in the United States aged 65 and older live with this disorder. There is no cure for the disease. Rowlands' mother, actress Lady Rowlands, also suffered from Alzheimer's disease, according to EW.
Gena Rowlands, whose decades-long career spans television, film and theater, received an honorary Oscar in 2016. Before winning the Oscar, the two-time nominee told the Times in 2015 that she enjoyed “The Notebook” and “everything in it.” . idea that love lasts forever.”
