Shelley Duvall (c) Elisa Leonelli
I interviewed and photographed Shelley Duvall in December 1980, when she talked to us, journalists of the Hollywood Foreign Press about the movie Popeye, directed by Robert Altman, where she played Olive Oil opposite Robin William as the Sailor Man.
She said that she went through awkward stages as a teenager because she was taller than anyone else, and she was nicknamed Dumbo because of her big ears. She was terrified about having to sing and dance for the first time in her life, so she called up Linda Rondstadt for advice, but then realized that Olive is human and doesn’t have to be perfect, she’s like Stan Laurel and Mae West put together and pretty lovable. Robin Williams was funny and had everybody in stitches, but could also be a serious actor, subtle and sensitive. She enjoyed learning from him how to make people laugh, especially children.
Shelley Duvall (c) Elisa Leonelli
As a lover of fairy tales, I was fascinated by the Showtime television series she created, Shelley Duvall’s Fairie Tale Theater (1982-1987) because of its subversive nature, and I taped everyone of the 25 episodes.
I could not find it on Paramount+ but it’s available online at Internet Archive, and I plan to watch it in Shelley’s honor, now that she passed away on July 11 at age 75.