The Shining’s Shelley Duvall posed in a rare snap with a fan on Wednesday – 20 years after retiring from acting.
The actress, 73, suffered from mental health issues after starring in the film which caused her to quit show business and become a Hollywood ‘recluse’.
Director Stanley Kubrick reportedly pushed Shelley harder than co-star Jack Nicholson.
Surprise appearance: The Shining’s Shelley Duvall posed in a rare snap with a fan on Wednesday – 20 years after retiring from acting
Shelley played Jack’s character’s famous wife, Jack Torrance – who goes mad while inside a snowy resort hotel – in the 1980s film.
The star looked relaxed in the snap wearing a gray jumper as she beamed next to the fan.
Shelley, who once had jet black hair, sported short gray locks and had a missing tooth in the front of her mouth.
Difficult: The actress, 73, suffered from mental health issues after starring in the film (pictured) which caused her to quit acting and become a Hollywood ‘recluse’
Shelley previously hinted at her struggle with mental illness while filming The Shining which was released in 1980 but took 500 days to film.
Director Stanley reportedly pushed Shelley harder than his co-star Jack.
The iconic filmmaker reportedly made the cast and crew isolate her, forcing her to reshoot scenes hundreds of times and not tell him what he and Jack were improvising to scare her further.
Duvall went on to star in several projects after The Shining, including 1980s Popeye opposite Robin Williams.
Low key: Shelley looked relaxed in the snap wearing a gray jumper as she beamed next to the fan (left) – pictured right in the film
Change: Shelley, who once had jet black hair, sported short gray locks and had a missing tooth in the front of her mouth
However, she hasn’t worked as an actress since 2002 and chose to move from Studio City, California to Texas 27 years ago.
After staying out of the spotlight for a decade and a half, Duvall revealed her struggle with mental illness in November 2016.
Last year, Shelley gave a very rare interview where she opened up about her iconic role in the film, revealing that she would spend days on the film set crying.
Duvall, 71, who was last seen appearing on Dr. Phil in 2016, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at Texas Hill Country near her home and discussed her grueling filming days with Kubrick, who was known to be a tough taskmaster, as well as look back on his Hollywood career.
Journey: Shelley once hinted at her struggle with mental illness while filming The Shining which was released in 1980 but took 500 days to film
Duvall explained that she had to constantly put her mind in a state of panic to get into the character of the filmmaker.
Duvall explained: ‘[Kubrick] doesn’t print anything until at least the 35th take. Thirty-five takes, running and crying and carrying a little boy, it gets hard. And a full performance from the first rehearsal. It’s difficult.’
She said she would put on a Sony Walkman and listen to sad songs or just think of unhappy memories to get into the proper headspace to play Wendy Torrance.
Duvall said: “You just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family or your friends. But after a while, your body rebels. He said, “Stop doing this to me. I don’t want to cry every day.” And sometimes that thought alone made me cry.
Life: However, she hasn’t worked as an actress since 2002 and chose to move from Studio City, California to Texas 27 years ago (pictured from the 1980 film)
“Waking up on a Monday morning, so early, and realizing you had to cry all day because it was planned – I’d just start crying. I’d be like, ‘Oh no, I can’t, I can’t ‘And yet I did it. I don’t know how I did it. Jack told me that too. He said, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’
THR asked her if she felt Kubrick had been unusually cruel or abusive to her in order for her to achieve the desired performance for the film.
Duvall replied, “He has that streak in him. He definitely has that. But I think mostly because people have been like that with him at some point in the past. His first two films were Killer’s Kiss and The Killing.
The play’s writer, Seth Abramovich, asked the star to elaborate on the matter, particularly regarding the director’s treatment of him.
Part: Shelley played the famous wife of Jack’s character, Jack Torrance – who goes crazy while in a snowy resort hotel – in the 1980s film
She apparently has no ill will towards Kubrick as she said, “No. He was very warm and friendly with me. He spent a lot of time with Jack and me. He just wanted to sit and talk for hours while the crew waited. And the crew would say, ‘Stanley, we have about 60 people waiting.’ But it was very important work.
However, fellow actress Anjelica Huston — who was dating Nicholson at the time — remembers Duvall and Kubrick’s interactions very differently.
The 69-year-old actress said: ‘I had the feeling, certainly from what Jack was saying at the time, that Shelley was struggling to deal with the emotional content of the play.
“And they didn’t seem to be that friendly. It was a bit like the boys ganging up. It may have been my complete misreading of the situation, but I just felt it. And when I saw her on those days, she usually seemed a little tortured, shaken. I don’t think anyone paid particular attention to her.
Honest: After staying out of the spotlight for a decade and a half, Duvall revealed his struggle with mental illness in November 2016 (pictured in 1995)