Dr. Phil Is 'Exploiting' Shelley Duvall and Her Mental Illness for Ratings
Tabloids are calling Shelley Duvall "unrecognizable" following a preview promoting the actress's upcoming appearance on the Dr. Phil Show.
Best known for her starring role in the 1980 psychological horror film The Shining, 67-year-old Duvall hasn't acted on-camera since 2002. According to Us Weekly, her life has changed "radically" since then. She appears to be battling serious mental health issues.
In the clip, Duvall makes some wild claims. She tells Dr. Phil she doesn't believe her former Popeye co-star Robin Williams is actually dead but simply "shape shifting." She says she's seen Williams, someone she loved deeply, since his reported death. She also claims that a villain from Robin Hood folklore is threatening her, and that she has a whirring disc in her leg.
"I'm very sick. I need help," Duvall said.
On Tuesday, Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of the late Shining director Stanley Kubrick, posted an open letter on Twitter accusing the talk-show host of exploiting Duvall:
You are putting Shelly Duvall 'on show' while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health. Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitative entertainment - it's appallingly cruel. Shelly Duvall was a movie star … whatever dignity a mere unfortunate creature might have in this world, is denied her by you displaying her in this way.
Kubrick ended her letter by urging others to boycott Duvall's episode of Dr. Phil, which airs Friday, Nov. 18., because "it has nothing to do with compassionate healing."
(h/t Us Weekly)
You Might Also Like
