'The Shining's' Shelley Duvall Gives New Insight Into Her Hollywood Exit

A new horror film role marks her long-awaited return to Hollywood.

After taking a break from acting for two decades, Shelley Duvall is making her return onscreen for upcoming horror flick The Forest Hills.

This marks the triumphant and long-awaited return of the Hollywood icon, but fans are still wondering why the actress quit the industry in the first place. In a new interview with PEOPLE, the actress shed light into her decision to step away from the limelight.

When one of her brothers was diagnosed with spinal cancer and acting opportunities began to dwindle in the '90s, the actress decided to move back to her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. "It's the longest sabbatical I ever took, but it was for really important reasons—to get in touch with my family again," she explained.

She also noted that despite her fame, she wasn't profiting much off acting. "You didn't get paid much—just scale plus 10 percent," recalled Duvall. "They thought women would just marry and the husband's going to support them. But that doesn't happen for everybody."

Now that she's acting again, Duvall has a newfound love for her craft. "Acting again—it's so much fun. It enriches your life," she quipped.

The acting hiatus came to an end after Scott Goldberg, who wrote and directed The Forest Hills, called Duvall in 2022 and asked her to appear in the film. "Shelley's a Hollywood icon. I'm happy that she has the opportunity to show that she still has the talent," said Goldberg to PEOPLE.

Besides her role in The Forest Hills, which premieres on March 11, Duvall plans to keep acting.

"[Jessica Tandy] won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win," she half-joked.