‘The Shining’: What Prop From the Movie Did Stanley Kubrick Gift Shelley Duvall With?
Most fans of The Shining are well aware of the drama that when on behind the scenes of the horror movie. Specifically, fans recall the tumultuous relationship between Shelly Duvall and Stanley Kubrick. The director and the actor rarely saw eye to eye, and as a result, they’d often explode at each other.
Yet, according to Duvall, there was a softer side to Kubrick that the media often didn’t pick up on. The perfectionist director even gifted her with a prop from The Shining once filming wrapped up. Keep reading to find out what it was.
Why didn’t Shelley Duvall and Stanley Kubrick get along?
According to Duvall, the reason their relationship could be so volatile was that they had completely different visions for the character of Wendy Torrance. Their artistic differences caused a rift on the film set, and it made Kubrick a lot harder on Duvall compared to the rest of the actors.
“I’m a very stubborn person and don’t like being bossed around and told what to do,” Duvall told Comingsoon.net. “Stanley pushed and pushed to get the performance out of me that he wanted. The script wasn’t really specific enough for me to understand what my character was going through mentally. I played it out as a battered but loving housewife who supports her husband through all the sh*t in their marriage. Stanley wanted a tough, strong, independent woman. I disagreed with that decision, but the way all my scenes worked out, you see all those emotions in my character. What I thought my character should be and what he thought my character should be rolled into one. It was a hell of a shoot, but he got what he wanted out of me!”
Stanley Kubrick gave Shelley Duvall this iconic prop from ‘The Shining’
Despite the explosive nature of their relationship, Duvall claims in a recent interview that Kubrick was a very warm and friendly person.
“He was very warm and friendly to me,” she shockingly tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Stanley spent a lot of time with Jack and me. He just wanted to sit down and talk for hours while the crew waited. And the crew would say, ‘Stanley, we have about 60 people waiting.’ But it was very important work.”
In fact, Kubrick was so proud of Duvall’s performance in the film that he gifted her an essential prop from The Shining. At the end of filming, he gave her the “July 4th Ball — 1921” framed image that serves as the film’s closing shot.
But sadly, not all of the actors were gifted with iconic props from the film. According to Danny Lloyd, who played Danny Torrance in the movie, he never received a gift. The actor says that Kubrick promised him the tricycle that he uses throughout the film. Yet unfortunately, it never arrived.
“I was waiting and waiting for it,” he admits. “But it never came.”
What is Shelley Duvall’s favorite scene from ‘The Shining’?
While talking to Comingsoon.net, Duvall was asked what her favorite scene from the film was. According to the actor,
“My favorite would have to be the scene with Jack typing away at his typewriter, and I come in and ‘distract’ him! Such a well-done shot. I love how there’s no music and how Wendy (and the viewers) have no idea what Jack is typing. So tense. The first time Jack told me to ‘Get the f**k out of here,’ we both cracked up laughing!!! We thought it was funny. Mr. Kubrick did NOT!”
