Stephen King Once Called This ‘The Shining’ Character “Misogynistic”

Stephen King once shared his thoughts on Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining, one of his most famous novels.

While the movie is now considered a classic in horror cinema and is widely referenced in pop culture, King has expressed criticism of how one character was portrayed on screen.

The character in question is Wendy Torrance, played by Shelley Duvall. Upon the film’s release, Duvall’s performance earned her a Razzie nomination for “Worst Actress,” a decision that many critics and fans later questioned.

The nomination reflected the view at the time that her performance was overly hysterical and lacked depth, though modern audiences often praise the intensity and realism she brought to a woman trapped in a terrifying situation.

Duvall’s Wendy is subjected to her husband Jack’s (played by Jack Nicholson) terrifying descent into madness while snowed in at the isolated Overlook Hotel. The character spends much of the film frightened, running, and screaming as Jack chases her with violent intent.

While some contemporary critics saw this as a weak or over-the-top portrayal, many now recognize it as a raw and compelling depiction of trauma and survival.

King, however, took issue with how Wendy was represented, describing her portrayal as “misogynistic” in a BBC interview. “Shelley Duvall as Wendy is really one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film; she’s basically just there to scream and be stupid, and that’s not the woman that I wrote about,” he said.

The author felt that Kubrick’s version stripped away the complexity of Wendy’s character from his novel, reducing her to a fearful and passive figure rather than the resilient, intelligent mother he had envisioned.

While King criticized the depiction, many still see Duvall’s performance as iconic. Her portrayal captures the panic and exhaustion of a woman facing extreme domestic abuse and supernatural terror, and ultimately, Wendy saves herself and her son, Danny, demonstrating courage and resourcefulness.

Critics now widely consider Duvall’s work to be a remarkable performance under challenging circumstances, including Kubrick’s famously intense and exacting directing style.

The Razzie nomination, though historically noted, now feels unfair to many film fans and critics. Duvall’s emotional intensity was a realistic reaction to an unimaginable situation, and her work continues to be celebrated as a key element of the film’s enduring power and terror.

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