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Stanley Kubrick’s Daughter Vivian Starts GoFundMe To Help Shelley Duvall After Shocking Dr. Phil Interview

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 09:44 PST, Nov 21, 2016

Shelley Duvall was recently a guest on Dr. Phil. The iconic actress revealed on the show that she has fallen out of the public eye and is battling severe mental illness. While many fans watched Duvall in horror and disbelief that Dr. Phil would even have Shelley on his show, the end result wasn’t all that bad. Stanley Kubrick’s daughter Vivian was so concerned over Shelley’s current state that she started a GoFundMe campaign to collect donations in order to help Shelley Duvall regain her mental health.

Many fans of Duvall were horrified when trailers for the recent interview with Dr. Phil McGraw were being played. On Friday, the talk show aired her interview and it was just as bad as everyone feared. Right away, Shelley Duvall admitted to Dr. Phil that she was suffering from mental illness. Then, rather than helping the struggling star out, McGraw asked a series of questions to further prove just how mentally ill Shelley really is.

Phil asked Shelley about her Popeye co-star Robin Williams, whom Shelley doesn’t believe is dead. Instead, she believes the late Williams became a shapeshifter and claims to have seen him recently. Then he went on to ask about her belief that she is being sent secret messages from the president and a few other surprising questions. Shelley rattled on in an almost incoherent fashion for the majority of the hour, at one point saying “I need to get the Bermuda Triangle off of me because I do not want a hairy chest, I’m not a Chia Pet.”

Despite Shelley’s admission that she needs help, she didn’t get the treatment she so badly needs after sitting for the hour-long interview that was often as uncomfortable for viewers as it obviously was for her. Instead, Dr. Phil sent Shelley Duvall to a treatment clinic where she stayed for three days before refusing to take any medication and was then sent home. Dr. Phil said that he is currently working with Shelley’s mother and her boyfriend to get her help from local doctors and facilities in Duvall’s home state of Texas, who would work with the actress using alternative methods of treatment.

The celebrity reaction to Shelley Duvall’s appearance on Dr. Phil is pretty epic according to Deadline. Many well-known stars are speaking up in Duvall’s defense and condemning Dr. Phil for what they say is exploitation. Another star decided to step up and help out, leading to what has already become a very successful GoFundMe campaign. So far, the campaign hasn’t reached it’s lofty $100k goal but it’s well on its way. After just three days of circulation, Vivian Kubrick’s GoFundMe has already collected more than $22,000 and is currently considered a trending campaign.

“Like many older movie stars, embarrassed finances is not uncommon,” Vivian wrote on the GoFundMe.

“Showing your love and support for Shelley Duvall by making a donation can start her back on the road to independence and perhaps back to health and for her fans, more superb performances!”

That wasn’t the only step that Vivian Kubrick took in order to help Shelley Duvall in her time of need. She also penned a letter to Dr. Phil and admonished him for using Shelley in order to increase his ratings, which many have accused the talk show host of doing.

“You are putting Shelley Duvall ‘on show’ while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health,” Vivan Kubrick wrote.

“Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitative entertainment—it’s appallingly cruel. Shelley Duvall was a movie star… whatever dignity a mere unfortunate creature might have in this world, is denied her by your displaying her this way. I recoil in complete disgust. I hope others will join me in boycotting your utterly heartless form of entertainment, because it has nothing to do with compassionate healing.”

Vivian was touched by Shelley Duvall in the most unique way. While Stanley Kubrick was directing The Shining starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, Vivian was just 19-years old. While Kubrick shied away from a lot of the spotlight, including interviews and behind the scenes recordings, he did allow his young daughter to do her own sort of documentary about the taping of The Shining and that’s where she got to experience Shelley Duvall in a way that many of us never will.

Vivian Kubrick explained that she first heard about Shelley Duvall’s current situation from Toy Story director Lee Unkrich. He told Vivian that he was working on a book about the making of The Shining and had reached out to interview Shelley. Unkrich spoke to the actresses friends and family, only to find out just how financially strained and mentally unhealthy Duvall is right now. Vivian said it was Unkrich who texted her a link to the teaser from the recent Dr. Phil interview and she was outraged.

Was Dr. Phil’s interview with Shelley Duvall exploitation or was it good TV? Will you be contributing to Vivian Kubrick’s GoFundMe for Shelley? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Doug Pizac/AP Images]

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