The Notebook's Gena Rowlands battling Alzheimer's

**DIGITAL USE ONLY** Director Nick Cassavetes has revealed that his actress mother has been battling Alzheimer's disease for the past five years. The 94-year-old film star played the older version of Rachel McAdams' character Allie in The Notebook, who was diagnosed with the progressive disease in the film. The 2004 film, which also starred Ryan Gosling and James Garner, was directed by Nick. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nick shared, "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…”