Actress Gena Rowlands, renowned for her role in 'The Notebook,' is currently battling Alzheimer's disease.
Cassavetes revealed a discussion with Entertainment Weekly about the 20th anniversary of their film, "The Notebook."
Rowlands, a renowned two-time Oscar-nominated actress with over a hundred films and TV shows under her belt, was directed by her son in "The Notebook," where she portrayed the elderly version of the main character, Allie, dealing with Alzheimer's.
"I managed to convince my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a great deal of time discussing Alzheimer’s and striving for authenticity," Cassavetes shared with the publication. "For the past five years, she’s been battling Alzheimer’s, slipping into full dementia. It's wild - we lived it through the film, she acted it out, and now it's hitting close to home."
Rowlands' own mother also suffered from the disease.
"The Notebook, adapted from the book by Nicholas Sparks, was a particularly challenging role because I play a character with Alzheimer’s," Rowlands spoke about to O magazine in 2004. "I went through this with my mother, and if it weren't for Nick directing the movie, I wouldn't have even considered it - it's just too tough. It was a tough but beautiful production."
CNN reached out to the representatives of Cassavetes and Rowlands for additional comments.
As stated by the National Institute on Aging, "Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that progressively deteriorates memory and cognitive skills." It is the most frequent cause of dementia among the elderly.
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The conversation with Entertainment Weekly about the 20th anniversary of "The Notebook" delved into various aspects of the film, including the portrayal of Alzheimer's, which was a significant part of the 'Entertainment' industry's discussion surrounding the project.
In her interview with O magazine in 2004, Rowlands opened up about the challenge of playing a character with Alzheimer's, stating that it was a role that she was drawn to due to her personal experiences with the disease.
