Stanley Kubrick is one of the most highly regarded directors of all time. His work on films like The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, and A Clockwork Orange are still praised as top tier by cinephiles to this day.
But despite the masterful outcome of the late director’s films, some fans have been critical over the years of Kubrick’s behind-the-scenes methods in order to get the perfect take. Particularly, when it comes to Stanley Kubrick’s torturous creative techniques in order to mold actress Shelley Duvall into the perfect scream queen in The Shining.
While Shelley Duvall’s performance in The Shining is impeccable, many fans of the film disapprove of Kubrick’s treatment of the actress while shooting the 1980 horror movie. And while Duvall understood Kubrick’s artistic motivations for his cruel treatment of her on set, it doesn’t change the fact that he put the actress in a state of “ill health” while shooting the classic horror film.
Shelley Duvall Had a Difficult Experience Working on The Shining
It’s well documented that Shelley Duvall had an extremely difficult time acting in the Stephen King movie adaptation of The Shining. According to the doe-eyed beauty, who plays Wendy Torrance in the film, the experience was so stressful that it caused clumps of her hair to fall out.
In one notorious scene of Vivian Kubrick’s documentary called “The Making of The Shining,” fans of the film get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Shelley Duvall having an anxiety attack on set. In the documented clip, the actress is seen sprawled out on the floor, being handed water and a pillow by crew members. Meanwhile, Kubrick’s drawing Duvall further into isolation by telling the cast and crew “not to sympathize” with Shelley.
Did Shelley Duvall See Herself as a Victim To Stanley Kubrick?
All this leads fans to believe that the relationship between Kubrick and Duvall was that of a bully and victim. It’s understandable and empathetic that fans instinctually want to look out for the actress. Yet from Shelley Duvall’s own point of view, it was much less black and white than that. According to the Texas-born movie star, there was an artistic collaboration between them that caused a lot of resentment, yet a lot of love as well.
She said of working with Kubrick: “He pushed me and it hurt and I resented him for it.” But, as she added, “I really respect him and really like him, both as a person and as a director. I’m amazed… He’s taught me more than I’ve learned in all the other pictures I’ve done.”
Furthermore, the late actress had a genuine love for Kubrick, as did he for her. “When it came time for me to leave, I was weeping all over the place,” she told The Los Angeles Times when the film wrapped up. “It had been such an intimate experience working with him. There was such love there.”
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Following the director’s passing, the actress expressed the deep love between them in a 2022 interview. “We had a good relationship actually, even though there were differences from time to time,” she said in awe. “I knew Stanley loved me. Period. That’s all… I knew he loved me. And you can’t really help but have love for him too. There are people in this world that are just very special people… and I’m honored to have met him and have worked with him. He’s really great. And at the end of ‘The Shining’, Stanley Kubrick and I were both crying.”
In conclusion, Shelley Duvall is extremely proud of their creative collaboration with Stanley Kubrick, and looks back at the experience with a sense of artistic triumph.
