Shelley Duvall was “in good shape mentally” on final film set, motivated to reshape her legacy
nme.comThe Shining star after her passing in July this year at the age of 75, including from horror writer Stephen King.Duvall returned to the big screen in 2022 after two decades away with a role in The Forest Hills and the film is set for release in the US next week and digitally around the rest of the world.Directed by Scott Goldberg, the film stars Chiko Mendez as Rico, a man who starts to experience “nightmare visions” of his mother (played by Duvall) after suffering a head trauma.
Others in the film include Edward Furlong and Dee Wallace.Now, a new interview with the cast and crew of The Forest Hills in The Guardian has shed light on Duvall’s final film appearance.The article reveals that while “Duvall [was] using a wheelchair, couldn’t travel and struggled to remember lines…such was her keenness that what was originally a cameo role…was significantly expanded” and the crew returned to “Duvall’s home to continue filming.”Goldberg also revealed how Duvall agreed to take the role. “I’d always admired Shelley and longed to work with her.
Her performance in The Shining is one of the greatest in cinema history,” he began before explaining that he’d approached her longtime partner, Dan Gilroy, (former singer of Breakfast Club) and she agreed to take part: “I didn’t hold out much hope.
He passed along her number, we spoke and she said she’d be interested. It was as simple as that.”Goldberg also went on to discuss the mental health of Duvall, who herself opened up on an episode of Dr Phil in 2016 about her struggles with mental illness.
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