The Notebook fame Gena Rowlands suffers from dementia in reality, director discloses details

Gena Rowlands, who portrayed Rachel McAdams’s elder counterpart in the beloved film The Notebook, suffers from degenerative condition called Alzheimer’s just like Allie in the film. Nick Cassavetes, her son and the director of the movie, recently commented on the “crazy” coincidence.

“She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us,” the filmmaker added.

Director Cassavetes, who directed his mother in the classic romance movie, disclosed the startling information in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. As per his statement to the source, he talked about Alzheimer’s, his mother and how he tried to capture the disease accurately for the movie.

Know about Alzheimer’s

Of the 55 million people worldwide who suffer from dementia, 70% have Alzheimer’s disease, making it one of the most prevalent condition. The illness is a result of “a combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors,” according to the National Institute on Aging. The illness affects about 6.5 million Americans who are 65 years of age or older, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Rowland’s experience of playing the role of Allie in The Notebook

In conversation with O Magazine in 2004, the actress recounted that she was hesitant to portray Allie in the movie post diagnosis of the disease, further adding “This last one — The Notebook, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks — was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s. I went through that with my mother.”

Sharing her experience while working on The Notebook, which clocked 20 years recently, she stated, “It was a tough but wonderful movie.” Cassavetes echoed her sentiments and told EW that the movie “holds up pretty good” even after two decades.

“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,” he wrapped up.