‘The Shining’ star Shelley Duvall on a comeback Oscar: ‘I can still win’

Shelley Duvall, “The Shining” star who is back in the spotlight after 20 years away from acting, has not given up on the dream of winning an Academy Award.

In an interview with People published Wednesday, the 73-year-old actress, who stars in the upcoming indie horror “The Forest Hills,” explained that she hopes to take part in many more projects — with one goal in mind.

“[Jessica Tandy] won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win,” she said of the late “Driving Miss Daisy” actress.

Not even her iconic portrayal of Wendy Torrance in the 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel scored Duvall an Oscar nomination.

However, she’s been nominated for two Primetime Emmys, a British Academy Film Award and a Women Film Critics Circle Award.

Duvall has earned three major honors throughout her career: Best actress awards from the Cannes Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 1977, as well as a Peabody Award in 1984.

Her portfolio also includes “Popeye,” “3 Women” and “Brewster McCloud.” Duvall announced her retirement from acting in 2002 after starring in “Manna From Heaven.”

Duvall explained to People that one of her brothers was diagnosed with spinal cancer in 2002, and acting roles began to dry out when she decided to move back to Texas, where she was raised.

“It’s the longest sabbatical I ever took but it was for really important reasons — to get in touch with my family again,” she told the outlet.

“The Shining” continued to take a toll on Duvall’s well-being outside of Hollywood. She revealed her mental health struggles on a 2016 episode of “Dr. Phil,” declaring, “I’m very sick… I need help.”

In 2021, Duvall told The Hollywood Reporter that having to cry on set nearly every day during the 56-week shoot affected her.

“After a while, your body rebels,” she explained. “It says, ‘Stop doing this to me. I don’t want to cry every day.’ And sometimes just that thought alone would make me cry. To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realize that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled — I would just start crying.” 

In that same THR conversation, she also criticized McGraw for taking advantage of her mental state at the time.

“I found out the kind of person he is the hard way,” Duvall told the outlet.

People reported Duvall to be “sharp, earthy, a bit eccentric and sometimes emotional as she looks back on her unique career” for the publication.