10 Great Film Ideas Utterly Wasted On Terrible Actors

8. The Shining - Shelley Duvall

shelley duvall With Jack Nicholson going mad and the vengeful ghosts of people in the service industry, it's hard to imagine anything bringing this horror classic down. Even the child actors in the movie are all on point. So where's the weak link? Well, that would be Shelley Duvall. Her downtrodden, sniveling housewife is so over the top and tonally off from the rest of the film that it creates a jarring disconnect. Legend has it that this was an unusually difficult shoot for Duvall, who was often pushed to the breaking point by director Stanley Kubrick. She was consistently at the brink of hysteria, keeping water bottles with her at all time so that she wouldn't run out of tears. While I can appreciate her commitment to the craft, her portrayal of Wendy is a poor interpretation of the character.
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.