Shelley Duvall’s paths crossed in 1980, when the director decided to engage the actress to work on an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. “The Shining” was not a debut for the young Duvall, because she had already had several interesting roles. Even Woody Alen noticed her talent and asked the actress to star in the comedy-drama “Annie Hall”. It was a small role, but with a world-famous director.
A trauma that is hard to forget
Shelley Duvall went to Kubrick, who primarily wanted his film to be remembered by viewers. He was willing to do a lot to make the end result as close to the intended one as possible. However, he did not particularly care about making the actress who played one of the main roles feel comfortable enough on the set. In fact, the accounts of the actress and members of the film crew even indicated that it was Shelley Duvall that Kubrick put the most pressure on. The director allegedly ordered his colleagues to ignore and never praise the actress. Kubrick’s working methods were not liked even by his daughter, who considered them too ‘tyrannical’.
Being on the set of “The Shining” caused Duvall severe stress, as a result of which her hair began to fall out. Kubrick, however, was adamant. He decided to film the famous baseball scene as many as 127 times, which was later entered into the Guinness Book of Records and caused Shelley Duvall serious health problems. The actress had a sore throat, wounds on her hands and signs of dehydration.
After appearing in “The Shining”, Shelley Duvall appeared less and less on screen. She later gave up acting for good. Many thought that the reason the actress withdrew from the world of film was her painful memories of working with Kubrick. Years later, Duvall denied everything, stating that she abandoned her career when she learned that one of her brothers had spinal cancer. “It’s the longest leave I’ve ever taken, but I did it for really important reasons. To be with my family again,” the actress said in an interview for “People” in 2023.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
