Shelley Duvall set for movie comeback after 20-year retirement
Shelley Duvall is reportedly returning to screens after a 20-year retirement to star in an indie horror flick, The Forest Hills. According to Deadline, the project, helmed by writer-director Scott Goldberg, follows a mentally and emotionally disturbed man who encounters traumatic visions. Duvall is set to play his mother, who serves as his inner voice.
Goldberg shared his love for the actress, stating: “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.” He also claimed that The Shining is “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.”
The film will also star Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), Dee Wallace (E.T.), and Chiko Mendez. Production comes from Scott Hansen, alongside Dreznick Goldberg Productions and Digital Thunderdome Studios, with Goldberg acting as co-producer.
Duvall hasn’t worked on a film since 2002’s Manna From Heaven, after which she announced her retirement aged 53. After appearing in The Shining in 1980, much discussion surrounded her performance. The actor was forced to cry on set nearly every day over the course of 56 weeks. In a 2021 interview, she said: “To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realise that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled — I would just start crying.”
Since her retirement, Duvall has largely stayed out of the public eye – that is, until she appeared on Dr. Phil in 2016, where the actress shared: “I am very sick. I need help.” The presenter was criticised, with actress Mia Farrow tweeting that it is “upsetting and unethical to exploit Shelley Duvall at this vulnerable time in her life.”
It is unclear why Duvall is now returning to acting, especially since it cannot be confirmed whether the actress is working with representatives or not.
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