Shelley in a promo pic from 1978
In 1978, Shelley got her first leading lady role opposite screenwriter, director, producer, and composer Joe Brooks in the film If Ever I See You Again (which spawned the hit single with the same title - as interpreted by Roberta Flack). The film was panned by the critics and was a box-office flop, but it had and still has its share of fans who appreciate the film. Shelley was cast in the role of Jennifer Corly, the love interest of the film's main character. Brooks told one reported that during the auditions, "When Shelley walked into the room, I turned to my assistant and said, 'She's got it!'". He also asked her to wear her own glasses throughout the film, to which near-sighted Shelley thought, "With them on, I felt very exposed."
Shelley in a 2-page spread
for the Japanese fan magazine Roadshow
about her 1978 movie If Ever I See You Again, May 1980
