Who did Gena Rowlands play in The Notebook? 94-year-old actress' son reveals she has Alzheimer's 

On June 25, Nick Cassavetes revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that his mother Gene Rowlands had received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Gena Rowlands played the role of the older version of Allie Hamilton, who also battled Alzheimer's disease in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook.

Director Nick Cassavetes revealed he was the one who got his mother to play the character.

"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."

Nick explained his mother is living the role she played in The Notebook,

"She's in full dementia, and it's so crazy - we lived it, she acted it, and now it's on us."

While speaking to O Magazine in 2006, Gena revealed her mother also suffered from the same disease.

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"I went through that with my mother" — says Gena Rowlands on her mother's Alzheimer's disease

Gena Rowlands, who recently was announced getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease by her son, Nick Cassavetes, in a 2004 interview with Oprah, explained her experience of playing a character diagnosed with Alzheimer's in The Notebook. In the interview, Gena Rowlands mentioned her mother was also diagnosed with the disease,

"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. It was a tough but wonderful movie."

The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, is inspired by a Nicholas Sparks book of the same name. The movie revolves around the love story of Noah and Allie, where Allie has Alzheimer's, and Noah attempts to help her remember their life together by recounting their story from a notebook.

Director Nick Cassavetes also talked about the movie after it completed two decades on June 25 and said it still "holds up pretty good."

'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 it exists. It seems to have worked, and I'm very proud of it."

Gena Rowlands is an American actress who started her career with her Broadway debut, The Seven Year Itch, in 1952 and started appearing on television during the 1950s on shows like Kraft Television Theatre, and Studio One. She made her film debut with the 1958 crime drama The High Cost of Loving.