Sad News Revealed About “The Notebook Star”
Her son is director Nick Cassavetes, and he directed “The Notebook.”
Recently, Entertainment Weekly interviewed Cassavetes about an approaching 20th anniversary of “The Notebook.”
The romance drama is framed through the character of an elderly man named Duke, who reads a romantic tale from his notebook to a fellow nursing home resident, Allie (Gena Rowlands). The narrative he shares details the summer romance of Noah and Allie in the 1940s.
“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,” said Cassavetes, whose grandmother, actress Lady Rowlands, also had Alzheimer’s. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
Rowlands had a hard time with the role because of what her mother was experiencing with the disease. She mentioned that if it wasn’t for her son directing the movie, she would have declined the role.
In the end, Cassavetes feels good about the film he and his mother worked on together. He said it “holds up pretty good” 20 years later. “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 woIrked and I’m very proud of it.”
According to The Center For Disease Control, Alzheimer’s Disease “ is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.” Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia. In 2020, there were “5.8 million Americans” with the disease. By 2060, the number is expected to almost triple to “14 million people.” In most cases, symptoms can start to appear after age 60, and the “risk increases with age.”
One of Rowlands’ most iconic earlier performances came in the 1974 film “A Woman Under the Influence,” directed by her husband John Cassavetes. In this film, Rowlands played Mabel Longhetti, a housewife struggling with mental illness. Her portrayal earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and an Academy Award nomination.
Another notable project with her husband was “Gloria” (1980), where Rowlands played a tough ex-gangster’s companion protecting a young boy from the mob. This role showcased her ability to be tough and vulnerable, earning her another Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award.