Scott Hansen/ Digital Thunderdome
Shelley Duvall is enjoying her return to the big screen.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Thursday, The Shining star discussed her experience returning to film after 20 years of being on hiatus from acting in the upcoming horror film The Forest Hills.
“I know it’s been a long time,” Duvall, 73, explained to the outlet. “But it’s been great. It really has, it feels good. Makes me want to do more acting.”
“It’s actually so much fun to act in a movie. I should appreciate every minute of it,” she continued.
Brian Michael Finn / Dreznick Goldberg Productions
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Duvall is set to appear in the upcoming horror film The Forest Hills, in which she plays the role of Mama in the werewolf movie, mother to Rico (Chiko Mendez) and Emily (Linda Flores). Directed and produced by Scott Goldberg, Forest Hills‘ cast also includes E.T. and The Howling alum Dee Wallace plus Terminator 2: Judgment Day‘s Edward Furlong.
In new photos shared exclusively with PEOPLE earlier this month, Duvall can be seen smiling on set with her script and scene partner Felissa Rose, who plays Dr. Gonzalez in the movie.
Noting that Duvall is “a true legend,” Rose, 53, known for 1983’s Sleepaway Camp, told PEOPLE “Shelley has been an idol of mine and exceeded all my expectations, as a person and as an actress. She lights up the room with her beautiful eyes and amazing soul, and I felt so connected to her.”
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Meanwhile, director-producer Goldberg told PEOPLE, “The best part of working with Shelley is that she fills the room up with her kindness and love. She is kind, and you can see that even after all these years since her retirement from acting, she is still a true professional.”
Cinematographer-producer Scott B. Hansen added, “Working with Felissa Rose and Shelley Duvall was an amazing experience, and you could see the chemistry on set.”
Duvall’s last film role was in 2002’s Manna From Heaven, after which she announced her retirement from acting. She recently told PEOPLE that her character in Forest Hills has a “quiet rage, which sometimes turns explosive.”
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She also praised the “fantastic” two-man crew as “real professionals,” revealing that the film marks the “first time I ever worked with a director who was on FaceTime.” Duvall said, “It was fun, very satisfying,” joking of the remote filming experience: “Welcome to the future.”
