The main cast of The Stepfather, 1987
Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen and Shelley Hack
Shelley appeared in the 1987 horror flick/psychological thriller. The Stepfather which has since become a cult classic and a favorite of many around the world. In the movie, she played Susan Maine/Blake, a woman who married the main character Jerry (Terry O'Quinn in the title role) and tired to look past the cracks she began to notice about him. Jill Schoelen played Stephanie, Susan's daughter by her first marriage. Shelley didn't have to audition because director Joseph Ruben thought she was easy on the eyes and had a naturalness that was perfect for the role. He had no second thoughts in casting her for this film.
screen captures of Shelley
from a UK VHS promotional video
about her 1987 movie The Stepfather
Shelley appeared in a the UK VHS promotional video for the film where she was interviewed about the movie. In the interview, she revealed how she approached her role as Susan Maine. Upon reading the script, she initially thought Susan was a silly character (How come she never noticed what a creep Jerry is?) But as she thought more about it, she realized that many people were like Susan. Many people chose to overlook the obvious, blatant flaws in their partners. She also revealed how she reacted when she first saw the finished film and shared a few anecdotes from filming it in Canada. She talked about Terry O'Quinn and Jill Schoelen - how much they got along and how much fun they had doing the movie. Watch it on YouTube at:
The Stepfather (1987) UK Promotional Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms8nzH66Zww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms8nzH66Zww
more screen captures of Shelley
from a UK VHS promotional video
about her 1987 movie The Stepfather
Shelley got some of her best reviews from her role in this movie. In 1999, Entertainment Weekly magazine said, "Shelley Hack also puts in a fine turn as a woman who loses patience with her psychopath husband and wayward daughter. Check out the scene where she smacks her teen across the face and shrieks, ‘He's your father now and you'll respect him!’" Shelley got the role because director Joseph Ruben had seen her, not on Charlie's Angels, but in the 1982 Martin Scorsese film The King of Comedy and thought she did a great acting job (Shelley got great reviews for that role as well).
