Actress Linda Blair caught her breakout role playing a possessed 12-year-old in The Exorcist, although the actress herself was older. The original Exorcist movie, based on the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, is a bona fide horror masterpiece. The film follows a mother who must orchestrate an exorcism after her daughter, Regan MacNeil, becomes possessed by a demonic entity. The controversial film is widely considered one of the scariest horror movies of all time, owing in part to Blair’s star-making central performance.
Blair has since appeared in two other Exorcist films, although neither entry has succeeded in recapturing the original film’s acclaim. The first Exorcist sequel, Exorcist: The Heretic, follows a 16-year-old Regan dealing with the after-effects of her possession. However, the film was roundly criticized for its lackluster plot, which does not feature an exorcism. In 2023, Blair returned to the Exorcist franchise with a cameo in The Exorcist: Believer, although it’s likely that she will play a larger role in future films in the planned Exorcist: Believer trilogy.
Linda Blair Was 14 Years Old In The Exorcist
When casting for the character of Regan MacNeil began in 1972, director William Friedkin was feeling worried that no age-appropriate actress had what it took to play the 12-year-old possessed child. He recalls “The question was not only whether a child could portray the character’s innocence as well as her possession without self-consciousness, but how she would react to the experience itself” (via AwardsDaily). The director was beginning to consider older actresses of 15 and 16 before the 13-year-old Linda Blair showed up without an appointment.
Friedkin thought Blair was perfect for the role and, vitally, she seemed mentally robust enough to withstand the anticipated backlash when the movie came out. Friedkin was right about the backlash. Blair, who was 14 by the time The Exorcist wrapped production, became the subject of controversy as the star of the “blasphemous” film and even received death threats. However, she also received considerable critical praise for her performance, which ended up earning her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
Linda Blair Was 18 Years Old In Exorcist II: The Heretic
Linda Blair agreed to reprise the role of Regan MacNeil for Exorcist II: The Heretic, although Ellen Burstyn, who plays Regan’s mother in The Exorcist, declined to return. The 1977 film takes place 4 years after the action of the original, with an 18-year-old Linda Blair playing the now 16-year-old Regan MacNeil. The Exorcist sequel made a lot of mistakes and was a critical and commercial flop upon release. Nevertheless, Linda Blair was considered a bright spot, and the star was nominated for a Saturn award for Best Actress.
Linda Blair Was 64 Years Old In The Exorcist: Believer
Linda Blair does not feature in the third Exorcist sequel, 1990’s The Exorcist III. Her next appearance in the franchise wouldn’t come until 2023 when she was asked to make a cameo appearance in The Exorcist: Believer, which takes place 50 years after the original Exorcist. Blair was 64 and the character of Regan was 62. The production also convinced Ellen Burstyn to return for Exorcist: Believer, making the legacy sequel Burstyn and Blair’s first time sharing the screen since 1973’s The Exorcist.
Source: AwardsDaily
