Hollywood star Gena Rowlands suffers from Alzheimer's disease

“The Notebook” star Gena Rowlands, 94, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. This is what the 94-year-old's son, Nick Cassavetes (65), who directed The Notebook, tells us. On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the hit film, Cassavetes allowed himself an interview.

The director and actor narrate Weekly Entertainment It's painful to think that his mother played a woman suffering from cognitive decline in the famous film – and now she suffers from the same progressive disease.

Working Together: Nick and his mother Jenna worked together in the hit film. Pictured here in 2007. Photo: Matt Baron/BEI/REX/NTB
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“I asked my mom to play the older Ally, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and we wanted to be honest about it. And now, for the past five years, she’s been living with Alzheimer’s,” he says of his mother, who played the older version of Rachel McAdams’ character, 45, in “The Notebook.”

In a 2004 interview with Oh magazine Rowlands spoke about how her mother's battle with dementia influenced her decision to play Allie in The Notebook.

“The Notebook”: Here's Gena Rowlands in “The Notebook” with the now deceased James Garner. Photo: Melissa Mosley/New Line/COPAL/REX/NTB
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– It was especially difficult because I played a character with Alzheimer's disease. I went through it with my mother, and if Nick hadn't directed the movie, I don't think I would have approved of it. It's very difficult. She said at the time that it was a difficult but wonderful film.

Roland's son also shares his feelings about the film in the new interview.

I forgot what five of the kids' names were

– It's always surprising to hear that it took so long, but it makes sense. “I'm glad it's there,” he says of The Notebook.

Dementia is a collective term for several brain diseases. The most common type is Alzheimer's disease, in which memory loss is the most common symptom.

Colleagues: Gena Rowlands played opposite Angelina Jolie in the movie “Taking Lives.” Here in 2004. Photo: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello/NTB
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Gena Rowlands has played in more than 50 films and TV series since her debut as an actress in the 1950s. Among the most famous films that she participated in are “A Woman Under The Influence,” “Talking Lives,” and “What if God Where The Sun is.” In 2015, she received an honorary Academy Award.

Rowlands was married to actor and director John Cassavetes from 1954 until his death in 1989. They starred in ten films together, and had children Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe together. All three trained to become actors.