Directed by Stanley Kubrick, “The Shining” is one of the greatest horror films in the history of American cinema. If everyone remembers Jack Nicholson’s interpretation, few know that the experience was traumatic for Shelley Duvall.
Stanley Kubrick is known for his perfectionism, his attention to detail and his numerous takes. Actor Shelley Duvall knows something about this. In 1980, she played Wendy in The Shining, adaptation of the eponymous novel by Stephen King – which does not carry the film in its heart. She plays the role of a wild and terrifying Jack Nicholson in the role of a writer lacking inspiration who accepts a job as a guard at the Overlook Hotel. This period of isolation will plunge the little family into horror.
For Shelley Duvall, the nightmare wasn’t just a movie. It took place in front of and behind the camera. Many spectators have often pointed the finger at her interpretation, judging her not up to the standard of her playing partner.
However, the actress appears on edge and more alone than ever. The atmosphere behind the scenes has a lot to do with it. On the set, director Stanley Kubrick is not kind to the actress. She even hesitated to leave the profession – which she did in 2002 to completely disappear from the radar.
I don’t think anyone took care of her
“I don’t do it how I did it. That’s what Jack Nicholson also said to me: ‘I don’t know how you do it’”, recalls the actress in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter 41 years after the fact. Even Anjelica Huston – actress who formed a very famous couple for years with Jack Nicholson – remembers Shelley Duvall’s state: “When I saw her at that time, she seemed tortured, completely disoriented. I don’t think anyone took care of her.”
One of the film’s most iconic scenes – the one on the stairs where Wendy holds out a baseball bat to defend herself against her abusive husband – was filmed… 127 times. The actress, in a state of constant stress, left the set speechless and completely dehydrated from screaming and crying.
Rediscover the staircase scene:
“After a while your body rebelsexplains Shelley Duvall. He said to me: “Stop doing this to me, I don’t want to cry all day.” Sometimes this thought made me cry. Getting up early on a Monday morning and realizing that you’re going to have to cry all day because it’s planned like that, it cracked me up.”
You just have to watch the making-of images, available on YouTube, to understand. Between takes, Shelley Duvall noticed that she was losing her hair due to stress. A few minutes later – around the 15th minute – Stanley Kubrick gets angry following a communication problem with his actress who tries, despite everything, to stand up to him.
The making of Shining:
Now aged 74, Shelley Duvall lives far from movie sets. She lives as a recluse in Texas in a modest house. Despite his difficult experience, his work on The Shining remains, without doubt, one of the film’s most memorable qualities.
Shining leaves the Prime Video platform on October 15.