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Classic cult movie The Notebook recently celebrated 20 years since it was revealed in 2004. Amid the celebrations of the movie, it was revealed that Gena Rowlands has been suffering from Alzheimer’s. It is a complete 360 degree because she played the older version of Rachel McAdams in the film who also suffered from Alzheimer’s.
Director Nick Cassavetes says, ‘She acted it and now it’s upon us’
Director and actor, Nick Cassavetes who is also the son of the 94-year-old actor revealed that his mother had had Alzheimer’s for the past five years. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Cassavetes drew parallels between her mother and her character from the 2004 film, Allie when he mentioned both suffering from the neurodegenerative disease.
He said, “I got my mom to play 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”. He further explained, “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”. Rowland’s character in the romantic movie also suffered from dementia.
Gena Rowland’s struggle with Alzheimer’s on the set of The Notebook
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rowland’s mother also suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and the topic was sensitive for her. During an interview with O magazine in 2004, she revealed that witnessing her mother’s Alzheimer’s had impacted her decision to play the role of Allie in the movie.
This enactment was “particularly hard” for her, “I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have gone for it — it’s just too hard. It was a tough but wonderful movie.”
Cassavetes reflects on a particular episode of her mother on sets of The Notebook
Reflecting back upon the days of shoots from the sets of The Notebook, Cassavetes remembered a particular episode from the sets of The Notebook where she was asked to reshoot a scene and she could not believe that reshoot was scheduled because of her performance. He said, “We go to reshoots, and now it’s one of those things where mama’s pissed and I had asked her, ‘Can you do it, mom?’ She goes, ‘I can do anything’”. And she indeed did.
The relevance and success of The Notebook is surreal and the director of the film agreed as he fondly remembered the last two decades of the film’s run, “”It’s always a shock to hear that as much time has gone by as it has, but it makes sense. I’m just happy that it exists. It seems to have worked and I’m very proud of it,” he said.
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