@user3713081069606: The Notebook - 2004 Gena Rowlands, who played older Allie in The Notebook, was hesitant to take the role of a dementia patient because she had watched her own mother fade away from the disease; she agreed only because her son, Nick Cassavetes, was directing the film. In a cruel twist of fate, Gena Rowlands herself was diagnosed with dementia years later and passed away in August 2024 due to complications from the debilitating condition. #genarowlands #jamesgarner #rileynovak #meredithzealy #nancydemayo #starlettadupois #heartbreaking #alzheimers #dementia #thenotebook #cinema #movie #overlookedmovieclips