Shelley Duvall was a Hollywood mainstay throughout the 70s and 80s. After being discovered randomly at 18 while attending a boyfriend’s art show, she starred in movies like The Shining and Annie Hall. Her career slowed into the 90s, when she and her family members suffered health struggles and she stepped away from the industry.
Now, Shelley Duvall is back, and she says she’s ready to win an Oscar.
After her brother was diagnosed with spinal cancer, Duvall moved to a small town in Texas to take care of him, saying, “It’s the longest sabbatical I ever took, but it was for really important reasons—to get in touch with my family again.”
Though Duvall is well-known to her small-town community, it has been some time since her face has been on-screen. In 2016, she was featured in an episode of The Dr. Phil Show, which drew harsh criticism for McGraw for exploiting the movie star, as she was at the time in poor mental health. Even Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, Duvall’s director in The Shining, wrote to McGraw on Twitter to voice her, ”complete disgust”.
Since then, Duvall has done a profile interview with People, describing her day-to-day life and her projects going forward. Duvall will play a supporting role in the indie horror, The Forest Hills, which is currently seeking nationwide distribution. The Forest Hills will be Duvall’s first performance in 20 years.
On the subject, Duvall told People, “Acting again—it’s so much fun. It enriches your life […] [Jessica Tandy] won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win.”
Sources:
Why Shelley Duvall Returned To Acting After Disappearing For 20 Years | ETCanada.com
Shelley Duvall on Why She Disappeared from Hollywood for 20 Years (people.com)
nypost.com/2016/11/17/inside-dr-phils-long-history-of-exploiting-his-patients/
