Had her 2016 appearance on the controversial Dr. Phil show not been so alarming, Shelley Duvall, 73, could have just announced that she was returning to the big screen like any other talented actress coming back to Hollywood after a hiatus. It would have been similar to Cameron Diaz, who spent time away for a few years to focus on her family, and Debra Winger, who was fed up with a system that discards women after a certain age. But Duvall’s case is different. The last time we saw her on screen, she appeared haggard and was spouting disjointed ideas; she claimed that Robin Williams was still alive and “shape-shifting,” and that the sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood was threatening her.
That shameful spectacle fueled a backlash from Duvall’s colleagues and friends. “There should be laws to protect mentally ill people from TV talk show predators like Dr. Phil, who is exploiting Shelley Duvall for his own gain,” Mia Farrow tweeted. After the program aired, Vivian Kubrick (director Stanley Kubrick’s daughter) also condemned the interview and started a fundraising campaign to help the actress. “I think more and more people now realize how brutal the Hollywood system is and how people aren’t really taken care of even though the studio system has benefited greatly from their talent,” Kubrick stated.
Indeed, Duvall’s talent made the studios a lot of money. She played Wendy Torrance in The Shining (1980), probably her most recognizable role for younger generations. She was also director Robert Altman’s muse and became the brilliant producer of several successful adaptations of children’s stories, which made her a television star.
Now, Duvall is returning to the movies at director Scott Goldberg’s insistence. In the new film, The Forest Hills, Goldberg reunites her with Dee…