Linda Hamilton admits her mother's dementia battle shaped her 'Dark Winds' character

Linda Hamilton has revealed that her cameo in Dark Winds is highly influenced by her mother, Barbara K. Holt’s, 25-year dementia journey.

For those unaware, the 69-year-old American actress appeared as Barbara Sena, the wife of Scarborough Police Department Acting Chief Gordo Sena, played by A. Martinez, in the premiere episode of Dark Winds season four.

To portray Sena, Hamilton brought her experience with her late mother into use, as the character has the same first name and disease as her deceased mum, Holt.

She told PEOPLE, "My mother had dementia for 25 years. I swear to you, I went in for the fitting and the whole thing takes place in the '70s, and they pulled out some shoes for my character that were my mother's shoes. I mean, they were the exact color of taupe that my mother would wear to extend the leg. And it was a very specific color from the '70s, '80s. It just felt really sweet to be doing this to kind of honor her."

In Dark Winds, Barbara is not aware of the extent of her memory loss, as The Terminator star said, "I have spent a lot of time wondering, 'When does a person know? Do you know?'"

"I never really witnessed that part of dementia where someone really knows that they're losing it. So, it is a fine balance [to portray]. I have some friends now that are going through that and have watched them over the years kind of fail mentally. So, there's every good reason to play this part."

Notably, through Sena, Hamilton is willing to "show the poignance of someone" with dementia and how "people around them are missing them while they're right there."

Dark Winds season 4 was released on February 15, 2026, on AMC+.