Goodbye, Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)
Friday, August 16, 2024 at 8:00PM 
Gena Rowlands in OPENING NIGHT (1977) John Cassavetes
Two days ago, cinephiles worldwide were met with some sad news, tragic beyond belief. Gena Rowlands died at the age of 94 after a few years battling with dementia, as her son, Nick Cassavetes, had previously revealed to the public. It's a loss that defies comprehension because Rowlands' talent was just the same, a generational marvel whose importance can't be overstated. Cinema, especially independent American film, is what it is today because of her contribution. The same can be said about the art of screen acting, in general. So much so that even those who don't gel with her mercuriality must contend with Rowlands' place in the annals of history.
Even as I loathe to use the term 'undeniable,' Rowlands is the exception to the rule. Consider her undeniable influence on countless artists. Consider the undeniable mark she left on those who watched her and felt themselves freefalling into the deepest recesses of the human soul, a chasm you love to get lost within…
Whether in John Cassavetes' seminal work or some modest TV movie, to watch her is to crash and ascend at the same time. It's revelation and vivisection made one, chaos and discipline, the visceral and the beyond expressed through gesture, voice, through living for a gaze to which one cannot lie. She could touch her audience like few ever did, and it's hard to imagine anyone being indifferent to what Rowlands brought to the silver screen. Hate or love her, the actress' very presence in front of the camera demands a reaction, like an antidote to passive watching in all its forms. She walks into a scene and you feel a zap of electricity.
In the coming days, multiple Team Experience members will pay tribute to Gena Rowlands. There is no strict model to these honors, for they come inspired by a surge of grief and the rush of heartbreak that has befallen us. For now, I leave you with a few assorted statements.
FAERIE TALE THEATRE: RAPUNZEL (1983) Gilbert Cates
From Mark Brinkerhoff:
Gena Rowlands, a life—and career—lived decidedly well as it was blessedly long. She made an immediate, lasting impression on me at a very young age (via Faerie Tale Theatre, as the Witch in Rapunzel) but, of course, only enriched my appreciation of great acting through seminal performances in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Opening Night (1977). What a generational talent! I'm just sad her obits couldn't lead with "Oscar-winner Gena Rowlands…"
GLORIA (1980) John Cassavetes
From Juan Carlos Ojano:
After watching A Woman Under the Influence for the first time, all I was able to write was "Gena Rowlands in [this] is THE pinnacle of (film) acting". After hearing the news of her passing, I put the film again on right away... and I still stand by that. Between this and Gloria, she has shown the vast expanse of the possibilities of what acting could do. The voice, body language, gestures, facial expressions, all of it. And the vulnerable humanity that she is able to mine from the rawness and honesty that she puts on the screen. She reminds us that acting isn't just an artistic exercise, but more importantly, an empathetic human experience. She's a miracle incarnate. I can't wait to live the rest of my life as I dig into more of her work, especially as an aspiring actor myself. We are lucky to have her brilliance be captured on film to learn from, relish, and celebrate for the rest of film history.
ANOTHER WOMAN (1988) Woody Allen
From Nick Taylor:
I am not sure when I first heard of Gena Rowlands, or which of her films I watched first. My introduction to her was some combination of A Woman Under the Influence, Opening Night, and Another Woman, all in the span of a few months, and that crash course painted a profoundly clear portrait of her talents to someone who'd barely started thinking critically about what good acting is or how it looks in tones as different as what Cassavetes and Allen ask of her in those projects. Getting better acquainted with her in her other films with her husband, hanging with Peter Falk on Columbo, and the late-career popcorn fun of Skeleton Key, all of it has made me even more appreciative of her. The base level talent, the individual achievements, it's all honest and painful and miraculous to witness.
The other thing that stands out most to me about Rowlands is how clearly she changed what screen acting could be. There's such a profound ancestry with Bette Davis and Kim Stanley, for one, but look at how many artists model her as an inspiration, either in specific performances or throughout their careers. Sure, any film embracing Cassavetes-style realism and improv almost automatically means we're gonna see someone try and achieve her inimitable synthesis of operatic intensity scaled to human-level gestures and insights. But how about performances as different as Tilda Swinton in Julia, Cate Blanchett in Tár and Blue Jasmine, Carrie Coon in The Nest, Robert Pattinson in Good Time . . . . I could do this literally all day. She's an icon. What would we have been without her?
But, of course, the mourning doesn't stop at film critics and cinephiles. Here's a sampling of reactions from Rowlands' acting colleagues.
From Martha Plimpton comes a paean to a favorite actress and astonishing woman:
;)
From Josh Brolin, a tribute to one who inspired him:
;)
From Molly Ringwald, a love letter to her first movie mom:
;)
From Susan Sarandon, a reminiscence about Tempest:
;)
From Michelle Pfeiffer, a goodbye to the GOAT:
;)
What about you, dear reader? What does Gena Rowlands mean to you? And can you remember how you first encountered her on-screen?
Reader Comments (6)
A real genius.
A legend.
An extraordinary actress.
Gena,
May God bless you and light your way. I wish you peace, love and light on your journey of progress and evolution. ✨🙏🏻✨
Oh, I loved her, of course.
Not a fan of the 'best performance ever put in film' discourse though.
Martha Plimpton is totally sincere here. Gave an interview to a Spanish TV many years ago and said exactly the same thing.
Very nice tribute.
Gena wasn't one of my personal favourites but I realise how influential and mercurial she could be on screen.
Gloria is my favourite of her Oscar nominated work,I'm not a big fan of WUTI though obviously she's very very good in it,it's just too much improv acting for me and that wears me down.
I think she's award worthy in Minnie and Moskowitz,Opening Night,A Child is Waiting,Unhook the Stars but for me her greatest is Another Woman.
I have a real soft spot for Hope Floats as it was the first film I ever saw her in whilst visiting Los Angeles the line "Get the stink off ya" has always made me smile esp her delivery of it.
The tributes all come across as very sincere.
She's as influential as a Bette Davis and was herself a big fan and they even worked together once.
I've only seen a few things she's in such as A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria as they're both essential while I first knew her through films like Something to Talk About as she is great in that and the only tolerable thing in Hope Floats that I liked as I don't like that movie at all.
Through the films of John Cassavetes I've seen so far, there's a reason why she's one of the best as she's also great in Another Woman. She is a rare kind of actress that we're never going to get. Thank you Gena. We will miss you.
I agree with all comments. I saw her earlier films and throughout the years, but just tonight watched her film debut with and directed by Jose Ferrer, “The High Cost of Loving,” 1958. I also recently discovered “Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter” with Bette Davis 1979. Both of these are on YouTube. What a treat. I’m still waiting for access to watch Love Streams which I only found on Critetion disc as Blue-Ray and bought. Have only seen clips. I’m glad her tv career was mentioned too. I first saw her in A Child is Waiting but on tv (in the 60s); oddly next film was A Woman Under the Influence in an Inglewood Calif drive-in early 70s with my mom. I keep trying to find words for our reaction but can’t. We took it very seriously and had never seen anything like it, were shocked. I try to realize the era we were in. I watched it again and don’t see it the same way. Watching her debut with Ferrer it was clear you’d never lose interest in her. How lucky we are that she was with us and gave so much. You can see she loved the craft. I’d been catching up on much of her work, (and her husband’s) before I heard she was ill. I knew her age and something warns me lately that the years have rushed by and I have to catch up. RIP and thank you so much. That was so funny Cassavetes saying lines not in the script and Molly Ringwold! She and Gazzara in Hysterical Blindness, so moving. They were quite older. Is anyone going to mention how all that physical beauty never stood in the way! She was courageous to go where she needed to in her work. Can’t stop commenting. I loved her chemistry with Seymour Cassel. Also I keep in mind she worked some times to help finance their independent films so she worked a lot!
I'm a completist. I've just seen The Brink's Job by William Friedkin on Amazon and now I'm furious. Gena has three scenes and they're all bad. Can't believe that's all she got after Opening Night!
There should be an essay or something on how only tv-movies provided roles for a certain generation of fabulous actresses.