Shelley Duvall returns to acting after 20 years away
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The Shining star Shelley Duvall has returned to acting after 20 years away.
The actor, who is also known for her roles in Annie Hall, Brewster McCloud, Popeye and more, retired in 2002 after appearing in comedy film Manna from Heaven.
Now, she’s set to return to film with a role in upcoming indie horror-thriller The Forest Hills from writer and director Scott Goldberg.
Reporting the casting, Deadline said that The Forest Hills “follows a disturbed man who is tormented by nightmarish visions, after enduring head trauma while camping in the Catskill Mountains. Duvall will play the mother of the mentally and emotionally disturbed Rico, who serves as his inner voice.”
Also set to star in the film are Edward Furlong, Chiko Mendez and Dee Wallace. Goldberg said in a statement: “We are huge fans of The Shining and it’s honestly one of my favourite horror movies of all time, up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween and George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead with the dark tones they delivered in their movies, along with perfect scores and elements that make them my personal favourites.
“Shelley contributed to The Shining being an absolute masterpiece by giving her all, and performing in a way that really showcased the fear and horror of a mother in isolation.”
Last year, Duvall re-watched an iconic scene from The Shining for the first time in years in a rare new interview, breaking down in tears in the process.
Duvall played Wendy Torrance in the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film, who heads to the Overlook hotel with her son Danny and increasingly disturbed husband Jack (played by Jack Nicholson).
In the new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Duvall became visibly emotional watching the film back. Asked why her reaction was so strong, she said: “Because we filmed that for about three weeks. Every day. It was very hard. Jack was so good – so damn scary. I can only imagine how many women go through this kind of thing.”
“It was a difficult scene, but it turned out to be one of the best in the film.”
