On Friday, prolific actress Shelley Duvall, who has avoided the public eye since she retired from acting in 2002, appeared on the syndicated talk show Dr. Phil to talk about her mental health problems that she just revealed she has. The hour-long episode was dedicated to talking with Duvall and trying to get her the help she needs, Deadline reported.
Dr. Phil gave an update on Duvall at the end of the episode, saying “After three days at the treatment center, Shelley still refused to take any medications and she would not sign the paperwork required to treat her.” He added that she had been transferred to her home, where the show is assisting her mother, her boyfriend and local professionals who use “alternative methods” because she’s not taking any medication.
In a preview trailer released to promote the episode, Duvall said she didn’t think Robin Williams, her co-star in Popeye, was dead and instead thought he was “shape-shifting.” In the trailer, she also admitted that she’s “very sick” and that she “needs help.”
As the episode aired, many celebrities took to Twitter to voice their displeasure that the show was making light of Duvall’s mental health problems as a way to try and increase the ratings of the show. Vivian Kubrick, daughter of legendary Hollywood director Stanley Kubrick, who directed Duvall in The Shining, slammed the interview and started a GoFundMe to raise money for Duvall.
Kubrick also published a letter to her Twitter account where she once again slammed the talk show host for exploiting Duvall.
Before Duvall’s retirement from acting in 2002, she starred in many movies, including Popeye, The Shining, Annie Hall and Manna from Heaven, which is her most recent acting credit. Her television credits include guest starring on many shows, including The Twilight Zone, L.A. Law and Fraiser. From 1992 to 1993, she hosted Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories.