The Razzies co-founder Mo Murphy reveals they regret nominating Shelley Duvall for The Shining now that they know her behind-the-scenes problems. The Stanley Kubrick-helmed film marked the first adaptation of Stephen King's iconic 1977 novel centered on aspiring writer Jack Torrance as he and his family head the the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies to work as the off-season caretaker. As a winter storm comes in and traps them on the mountain, Jack's sanity begins to deteriorate as the supernatural forces within the hotel take a hold of him.
Duvall starred in the film as Jack's wife Wendy, also mother to their child Danny played by Danny Lloyd, with Jack Nicholson portraying the mad lead and Scatman Crothers also starring as the Overlook's head chef Dick Halloran, who has similar psychic abilities as Danny. The Shining hit theaters in 1980 to a largely divided reception from critics and audiences alike, with Nicholson's performance and Kubrick's visual direction receiving praise while the slow pacing and deviations from King's source material was criticized, namely by the author himself. In the years since, the film has received largely positive reviews and is generally considered as one of the greatest and most influential horror films of all-time, though there is one blemish forever on its record.
The Razzies co-founders John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy recently caught up with Vulture for a career-spanning interview on the infamous award show. When asked of controversial picks they hear about the most from fans, Murphy says he hears about Shelley Duvall's The Shining nomination the most and regrets the nomination in hindsight. See what Murphy said below:
"Knowing the backstory and the way that Stanley Kubrick kind of pulverized her, I would take that back. And we’re willing to say, 'Yeah, maybe that shouldn’t have been nominated.' Everybody makes mistakes. That’s being human."
Duvall's time on production of The Shining is one of the more infamous stories in Hollywood history for her troubled experience. She and Kubrick never got along on the set of the film and were prone to frequent arguments and resulted in her becoming ill due to the stress she was under, even seeing her hair begin to fall out because of it. Kubrick's ever-changing process of script rewrites and endless takes saw the stress extend to other members of The Shining's cast as well, with Nicholson reportedly refusing to read the script until the day of shooting knowing it would be changed at some point.
The Razzies' nomination of Shelley Duvall in The Shining is a unique moment in history as it was the first year the faux awards show got underway, with the actress "losing" the Worst Actress award to Brooke Shields for her work in The Blue Lagoon. In the 40 years since launching, the Razzies has become a black sheep in the film industry, receiving criticism from general audiences, filmmakers and audiences alike for its insulting nature and frequent controversial choices of nominations, with The Shining being one of them. Though it may come as a nice note to hear Murphy admit regret in nominating Duvall for the film, some may also find it to come too late and undeserving given the continued lifecycle of the Razzies.
Source: Vulture