Gena Rowlands, a famous actress and honorary Oscar winner, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, shared this news in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Cassavetes revealed that his mother has been living with Alzheimer’s for five years. Interestingly, Rowlands played a character with dementia in the 2004 movie “The Notebook,” which her son directed.
“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,” Cassavetes said. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
A representative for Rowlands confirmed that Cassavetes speaks for the family about this matter.
Rowlands has had a distinguished career in film. She received an honorary Oscar in 2015 and made ten movies with her husband, John Cassavetes.
Two of these films, “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), earned her Oscar nominations. She also won four Emmy awards. Her last acting role was in the 2014 comedy “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.”
This isn’t the first time Alzheimer’s has affected Rowlands’ family. Her mother, Lady Rowlands, also had the disease. When making “The Notebook,” Gena Rowlands drew on her experiences with her mother to portray her character.
“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,” Rowlands told O magazine in 2004. “It was a tough but wonderful movie.”
This news highlights how Alzheimer’s can affect anyone, even those who have portrayed it on screen. It also shows how personal experiences can inform an actor’s performance.
Gena Rowlands has been living with Alzheimer’s disease "for the last five years," says her son and "The Notebook" director Nick Cassavetes.
“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… pic.twitter.com/ix8rL6suzE
— Variety (@Variety) June 25, 2024