Ask an actor what their dream role is, and most will reply that they would instead favor the director of the role. Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and others can create a character so influential that every actor wants to work with them regardless of how long their part is.
Most of these modern-era directors have been inspired by the genius of Stanley Kubrick– who walked on the edge of human psychology and could bring out raw emotions in actors. Be it the highly controversial Clockwork Orange, anti-war saga Paths of Glory, or the grueling sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick’s direction birthed multi-dimensional characters that are studied even today.
But his best play on the human psyche has to be the 1980 classic horror movie, The Shinning. And No… we are not discussing Jack Nicholson’s “Here’s Johnny” (a harrowing jump scare). It was the character Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall, stays in the viewer’s nightmare for a long time.
In retrospect, critics praise Duvall for her extreme depiction of Wendy, although she was nominated for a Razzie soon after the movie was released. However, this praise came with a cost.
With Kubrick’s tendency to bring out the worst emotions in people, his direction toward Duvall was specifically hostile as he wanted her to imbibe the character completely. Thus began an 11-month submission of Shelley into being yelled at, giving 127 takes for one scene, getting dehydrated, having bruises while filming, getting no sleep, and still not being enough. Wendy came out victorious in the movie, but Shelley Duvall lost a piece of her in the process.
What Happened to Shelley Duvall?
Before The Shinning, Shelley made her presence felt with 3 Women in 1977. She bagged the role of Wendy in 1980 and forever cemented her name as The Shining Star.
She also played Olive in the movie Popeye alongside Robin Williams.
However, she rarely took up roles later on in her career. She focused on her show as an executive producer for Faerie Tale Theatre– an anthology series of live-action portrayals of fairy tales. She roped in some big names, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Burton, and more, to direct her 27-episode series.
Even then, fans did miss her on the big screen. She was last seen in 2002, after which she lived a private life away from showbiz.
However, she agreed to an interview in 2016. But the only hitch was she would be appearing on Dr. Phil.
Is Doctor Phil a Real Doctor? How Did Dr. Phil Get Famous?
Phil McGraw was initially a regular consultant on The Oprah Show. He graduated from Midwestern State University with B.A. in Psychology. He did his post-graduation in experimental psychology and later earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas.
Finishing his educational background with post-doctoral training in forensic psychology. He ceased to renew his license to practice psychology since 2006.
Verdict: Phil McGraw has a doctorate in psychology. But he has never studied the medical stream of psychiatry. This means– he cannot prescribe medication or even diagnose someone’s mental illness. Simply put, Dr. Phil is not a real doctor.
After appearing on The Oprah Show, he launched his show in 2002 called Dr. Phil. The show’s format resembled a talk show, except the guests approach him with their problems, or he invites controversial guests to discuss their behavior. It sounds an awful lot like the Jerry Springer show… but anyways. He became famous due to his controversial tone-deaf interviews and being the internet’s favorite meme uncle.
What Episode Is Shelley Duvall in Dr. Phil?
Shelley Duvall appears on the Dr. Phil show in season 15, episode 56. The episode was titled– A Hollywood Star’s Descent Into Mental Illness: Saving The Shining’s Shelley Duvall.
Guessing from the not-so-subtle title, the episode would potentially reduce someone’s legacy into the typical “Tragic Hollywood actress who succumbed to madness” trope.
What Was Dr. Phil & Shelley Duvall’s Interview About?
The show started with Dr. Phil’s intention of connecting Shelley Duvall to the right mental health professionals. Even in that case, the episode would have been pretty heart-warming.
But you cannot expect Dr. Phil not to cash-grab TV ratings.
The interview began pretty normally, but Duvall’s answers and her opinions seemed to get progressively eccentric. Even though Phil made basic efforts to get the conversation back, the interview went on to exploit a vulnerable woman.
Here are the evident issues with the interview–
- Dr. Phil should have edited out her statements, such as the one where she believes her co-actor Robin Williams is still alive as a shapeshifter. We will not go much into what she said because we don’t want to do the same as Dr. Phil.
- It seems like Dr. Phil had already formulated the questions so that she would answer strangely.
- At one point in the interview, Shelley looks right at him and says she needs serious help. That should have been the cue to stop the interview.
- Duvall never received any valuable help from the show, as she spent only three days in the treatment facility. So, what exactly was the point of the episode? Never once was her diagnosis mentioned; all it projected was that she had “some” mental health issue.
- The show ultimately tarnished her legacy. They made her out to be someone who had lost her mind. How can we even say that about a woman who delivered outstanding performances?
- The show made a mockery of everyone who suffers from mental illnesses.
Shelley Duvall gave an interview in 2020, telling her experience on the show–
“My mother didn’t like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan, said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Shelley.’ He started calling my mother. She told him, ‘Don’t call my daughter anymore.’ But he started calling my mother all the time trying to get her to let me talk to him again.”
Shelley Duvall
She said that she learned “the hard way” that Dr. Phil did not have the right intentions for her. She kept this interview a secret from her partner, Dan Gilroy, who told her she should never have gone to that show.
On the other hand, Dr. Phil completely dismisses any criticism about the episode and claps back at his critics for not helping her. Several celebrities condemned his disrespect for Shelley. Stanley Kubrick’s daughter, Vivian, was vocal about her opinion–
“You are putting Shelley Duvall ‘on show’ while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health. Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitive entertainment,”
“It’s appallingly cruel … I recoil in complete disgust. I hope others will join me in boycotting your utterly heartless form of entertainment, because it has nothing to do with compassionate healing.”
What did you think about Shelley’s interview? Is it exploitation, or was he trying to help Duvall? What do you think of the Dr. Phil show? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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