Adrienne Shelly Dead of Unknown Causes
Filed under: Independent, Sundance, Obits, Cinematical Indie
It is going to be tough for awhile, looking up at the Trust poster on my wall. For as big a fan of Hal Hartley's films as I am, I was taken aback by the news this morning that actress Adrienne Shelley, who starred in Hartley's films The Unbelievable Truth and, of course, Trust, was found dead in her office on Wednesday evening. The cause of death is still unknown, even after an autopsy was performed Thursday, though police are awaiting more results from that autopsy.I always thought of Shelly as an important part of the New York independent film scene, not just for her Hartley roles, which were her first, but also because she never really broke into Hollywood despite all the buzz she received in the early '90s. She called New York home and even titled her first directorial feature Sudden Manhattan. Her second film, I'll Take You There won her a best director award at the U.S. Comedy Festival, and her third, Waitress, which stars Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, just recently finished shooting. As far as acting, she'd recently appeared in Factotum, but she was more interested in focusing on writing and directing, and taking care of her 3-year-old daughter. It is unfortunate that we'll never get to see how successful her filmmaking career could have been.
Shelly was waiting to hear whether or not Waitress would screen at Sundance in January when she died. I'd like to suggest that the festival not only give the film a slot, but also give her a special tribute of some kind as well.
UPDATE: Shelly was reportedly murdered.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-03-2006 @ 12:59PM
Beano said...
The NY Post says she was found hanging from her shower rod (apparent suicide). Isn't the diversity of news accounts on things like this weird?
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11-03-2006 @ 12:59PM
karina said...
Wow, so sad. She was one of those actresses who I always cheered on, everytime she popped up in something. I'd love to see a tribute to her. It would give me anoter chance to see that great short film where Wallace Shawn played her shrink:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132263/
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11-03-2006 @ 2:00PM
Fred said...
Well lord knows the Post has never gotten anything wrong before...
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11-03-2006 @ 3:01PM
Cath said...
It's so sad, someone with a truly respectable career, a young child and prospects. I first saw her in Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me (a very funny movie) and have always thought highly of her gifts and her commitment to independent film. I hope the she is remembered at the Independent Spirit Awards.
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11-03-2006 @ 4:11PM
Courtney said...
This is so sad...I thought she was simply fantastic in Trust, one of my favorite movies of all time. Wwhen I first saw the headline on CNN that an independent film actress had died, I immediately thought of her. To see that it really was her is chilling. May she find peace if she did, in fact, commit suicide.
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11-03-2006 @ 3:19PM
Susan said...
16 years ago I met Adrienne Shelley in line for an ATM in NYC. I told her how much I enjoyed her work and she was genuinely happy to hear from a fan. She was warm and even asked me some things about myself. How sad.
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11-04-2006 @ 8:30AM
David Penn said...
I just learned of adrienne shelly's death and am shocked. Hal Hartley's films were my introduction to Indy films and I always admired how talented adrienne shelly was. And, "I'll take you there" is one of my all-time favorite independent films. What a loss!
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11-04-2006 @ 10:34AM
unbelievable truth said...
adrienne shelley was so unique, she really brought a special kind of light and vibrancy to the screen in her films. i'm so sad to hear about her loss, i just revisited the unbelievable truth last week, she was just the coolest.
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11-04-2006 @ 4:08PM
Jason L. said...
I just learned about this moments ago. It will be tough to keep this from wrecking my day. I feel like I never understood just how powerful film could be until, in my early twenties, I discovered Hartley. Adrienne, like Martin Donovan, Bill Sage, Edie Falco, and the rest of his 'regulars', was someone whose career I followed the way most guys might follow a minor league athlete into the majors. I am truly saddened by this loss and will be thinking about her for a long time to come.
Thanks for the post,
J.
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11-04-2006 @ 5:23PM
JL said...
The news really stunned me. Adrienne and I went to highscool together and we were cheerleader partners (jayettes) She was always sweet as can be and about 10 years ago, when we ran into eachother, she was just as kind and friendly as always. I walked away that day thinking, how great it is that things worked out for her so well. Rest in peace Adrienne Levine.
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11-05-2006 @ 12:44PM
Teri said...
This sounds so strange. I never heard of any mental illness. She had a daughter and I can't believe she would leave her.
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11-05-2006 @ 12:02AM
Ira Z. said...
I am still in shock over the death of Adrienne Shelly. She's one of my favorite actresses and I always try to watch her films whenever they're on. My favorite still remains, Trust. She and Martin Donovan were wonderful together. She had a certain quality that made me feel like I really knew her, that I was watching a friend in her films. I cannot believe she committed suicide; she always avoided the glamor of Hollywood to follow her heart and make smaller, independent films. What a loss!! I will miss her!!
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11-05-2006 @ 12:58PM
Eve said...
I was so sad to find about Adrienne Shelley. I respected her work and always felt a sense of camradarie with her as she seemed to be one of the true last stading inde Filmmakers/Actresses. I'm not sure what has happened to her...I can't imagine she committed suicide, from what's known about her, she was dedicated to her child and waiting to hear about her latest film. Depressive perhaps, but suicide? Whatever the case, I am so sad, the film community has had a great loss here!
RIP Adrienne. :(
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11-05-2006 @ 4:02PM
gretta said...
This is very sad indeed. You follow someone's career, and you think you know them. Goes to show what could be lurking underneath all of that creativity, and positivism.
I know how dark the undercurrent can be. Despite professional success, I have wanted to commit suicide for years because of overwhelming despair. This may sound trite, but the only thing that keeps me from it is my two dogs. I look at them and know that they need me. Leaving a child behind in unimaginable. Either her pain was unbearable, or it was a momentary disconnect, and she was overwhelmed by it. That happens. I am so sorry for her. In my case it is a mental illness, and that’s what I tell myself when these thoughts feel so powerful—it’s the illness—I want to live. I wish she had sought help. Reached out to anyone....
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12-10-2006 @ 12:31AM
Mendy Spencer said...
It is sad, but not surprising that Adrienne Shelly would end this way. If you read the hundreds of blog entries on the numerous cinema sites, everyone writes on and on about how great she was in Hal Hartley’s first two films, The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. I completely agree; she was fantastic in those two films and I think, back then, that film geeks around the globe were secretly wishing that the dynamic duo (Hal Hartley and Adrienne Shelly) would make films together forever. But, the reality is that people grow up and move in separate directions.
I remember talking with Adrienne at both The Seattle International Film Festival and The Olympia Film Festival. She had just shot Sudden Manhattan and was presenting the work print. She was upset because after (both!!) screenings, all of the audiences’ questions focused on The Unbelievable Truth, Trust and what was it like working with Hal Hartley; they completely ignored the movie they just watched!
Adrienne has always been trying to fight her way from under Hartley’s shadow and come into her own, but when you instantly get catapulted into cult stardom, it is nearly impossible to escape your fans. It seems that everywhere she went, people would approach her and say, “Man, you were great in Trust.” or, “You really changed my life with those two films.” The magic of film is that it creates wonderful characters that will indefinitely stay with us, but we often confuse the characters with the real person.
Adrienne Shelly was neither “Audry Hugo” nor “Maria Coughlin.” She was an artist who desperately wanted to be recognized for her own work and suffered like all of the young actors who came before her. Being in the entertainment industry is a hard, cruel path and it takes a magnanimous spirit to carry on.
You will be missed.
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11-06-2006 @ 10:45AM
Val said...
This may be murder, not suicide. Although she was found hanging in the shower, there were shoeprints in the tub not matching her shoes. Also, her husband states money was missing.
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11-06-2006 @ 4:24PM
NS said...
It looks like it was a homicide after all -- the police even have someone in custody:
http://wcbstv.com/local/local_story_306192615.html
I'm glad that her killer will be brought to justice, but it's so senseless and sad.
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11-06-2006 @ 7:09PM
hilary friedberg said...
Growing up with Adrienne Shelly, she was always a sweet, pleasant person who was always cheerful. Knowing how successful she had become was very refreshing. May her daughter grow up and become a shiny star like her mom. Rest in peace Adrienne Levine, we will all miss you! HS
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11-07-2006 @ 3:29PM
spitzer said...
so sad. in my first year studying film in toronto, my first week in fact, I went to the festival of festivals (as it was then called) and wandered blindly into "Trust". those performances changed profoundly how I thought about film (and acting, and framing, and structure) ever after.
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11-07-2006 @ 6:22PM
Matt said...
All the speculation about her "suicide" and "mental illness" is disgusting. You people should be ashamed. The poor woman was murdered. The police never even considered it a possible suicide due to evidence to the contrary at the scene.
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