'She Was Written So Strong': 'The Shining' Star Reveals What Really Infuriated Stephen King in Kubrik's Adaptation

Did Stanley Kubrick get it all wrong? For decades, horror fans have debated why Stephen King loathes the iconic 1980 adaptation of The Shining. But now, one of the stars of King’s own version has spoken out — and what she says flips the whole narrative on its head.

Rebecca De Mornay, who played Wendy Torrance in King’s 1997 TV remake, has finally explained what the author found so disturbing about Kubrick’s film — and no, it’s not just about Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness.

"I didn’t realize [the movie] was so different from his novel," De Mornay said, "and that [King] was sort of perturbed by that himself… because [Wendy] was written so strong [in the novel]."

In other words, Wendy Torrance wasn’t meant to be the hysterical, terrified shell of a woman we see in the film. King had envisioned a far tougher, more resilient character — and watching Shelley Duvall’s portrayal, shaped by Kubrick’s notoriously controlling direction, was for him a complete betrayal.

"That’s one of the things that really bothered Stephen King — the approach to that character by Shelley Duvall and Kubrick," De Mornay added. "He was very against that."

And here’s the kicker: De Mornay made it clear that her version of Wendy, in King’s own adaptation, was the opposite — "just, you know, a stronger wife." It’s not just a casting issue or an artistic disagreement. It’s a fundamental misreading of one of the story’s core emotional anchors.

Fans might love Kubrick’s The Shining for its haunting visuals and cryptic symbolism, but if you ask King — and now De Mornay — the real horror was what got lost in translation.