The classic cult movie The Notebook recently celebrated 20 years since it was released in 2004. During the movie’s celebration, it was revealed that Gena Rowlands suffers from Alzheimer’s. This is a complete 360 ​​degrees since she played the older version of Rachel McAdams, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, in the movie.
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‘They acted, and now it’s up to us,’ says director Nick Cassavetes
Director and actor Nick Cassavetes, who is also the 94-year-old actor’s son, revealed that his mother has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past five years. Cassavetes drew similarities between his mother and his character from the 2004 film Ally, saying both suffer from the neurodegenerative disease, reports Entertainment Weekly.
“I asked my mom to play the older Ellie, 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 has Alzheimer’s,” he said. “She’s suffering from full-blown dementia. And it’s so weird — we lived it, she lived it, and now it’s on us.” Rowland’s character in the romantic film also suffered from dementia.
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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 subject was sensitive for her. During an interview with O magazine in 2004, she revealed that it was only after seeing her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease that she decided to play the role of Ellie in the film.
The acting was “particularly difficult” for her, “I’ve done it with my mum, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film I don’t think I would have done it – it’s that hard. It was a difficult but wonderful film.”
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Cassavetes reflects on a particular incident involving his mother on the set of The Notebook
Recalling the shooting days from the set of The Notebook, Cassavetes remembered a particular episode from the set of The Notebook where she was asked to reshoot a scene and she couldn’t believe that the reshoot was decided because of her performance. She said, “We go to reshoot, and now it’s one of those things where mom is angry and I asked her, ‘Can you do this, mom?’ She says, ‘I can do anything'”. And she actually did.
The relevance and success of The Notebook is unreal, and the film’s director agreed, looking back on the film’s past two decades, “It’s always surprising to hear that so much time has passed, but it makes sense. I’m just happy that it exists. It seems to have worked, and I’m very proud of that,” he said.
