Starring in “The Exorcist” at 14 years previous was not straightforward for Linda Blair, and she or he had “no idea” the film would flip right into a cult traditional over the past 5 a long time.
In an interview with Fox Information Digital, Blair defined how the 1973 movie grew to become an “international controversial sensation” because the film approaches its fiftieth anniversary on Dec. 26.
“For me, it was so not Hollywood. I had no idea,” Blair stated of the movie. “Mom and I just thought, ‘Oh, you know, your project, if it gets a little airing, the commercial runs,’ and that wasn’t the case. The case was it became an international controversial sensation around the world.”
Linda Blair didn’t anticipate “The Exorcist” to be so profitable. (Getty Photos)
Blair explained that Warner Bros. tried to ship her on a world press tour, so the world might see that she was actually only a younger woman – not the demon-possessed Regan MacNeil they noticed on their screens.
‘EXORCIST’ STAR LINDA BLAIR ‘UNKNOWINGLY’ WALKED AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD
“It’s a very intense movie. My hope is that people would realize it’s about good and evil, and that is playing out right now on the planet with the war in Israel, and we can do better. We can absolutely do better,” she defined.
WATCH: ‘Exorcist’ star Linda Blair had ‘no concept’ movie would turn out to be a cult traditional
There are a number of reminiscences that stick out in Blair’s thoughts about her time filming “Exorcist,” however the freezing chilly temperatures on set is one thing she stated she is going to always remember.
Linda Blair on the set of “The Exorcist” in 1973. (Photograph by Warner Bros. Photos/Sundown Boulevard/Corbis)
“The temperature, which people forget because we didn’t have all of the incredible magic that we now have with filmmaking,” Blair started. “So it was 17 below in the morning, and then it was zero when we were filming and very uncomfortable and the makeup was such cutting edge, like pieces are glued on my face and the contacts were very uncomfortable.”
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One other troublesome side of filming for a 14-year-old Blair was the “crass language” that her character was required to recite within the movie.
WATCH: ‘Exorcist’ actress Linda Blair shares what she remembers most from the film
“[Director] Billy Friedkin rewrote a lot of the script, my dialogue, and would tell me in secret the night before. I’d say, ‘Well, I can’t say that,’ and he’d say, ‘No, no, you can.’ So he’s the culprit behind all that nasty language and I had to do it,” Blair claimed, including, “That was hard for me because I wasn’t raised to be like that.”
Quick-forward to immediately – and a long time since its launch – Blair now says “The Exorcist” is an “amazing movie” that she is “proud of.”
Linda Blair rose to fame in “The Exorcist” in 1973. (Getty Photos)
“Of course, anybody can reflect back on things that are painful to them and uncomfortable memories, but you have to try to compartmentalize and move forward,” Blair stated.
“Mine is to use that. To find positive and ask people if we can’t be better humans to each other and find the goodness and get rid of all the evil that’s on the planet right now, we can do better and that’s with animal welfare. It’s with conservation. It’s with human rights and welfare. Just being compassionate to all and others.”
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WATCH: ‘Exorcist’ star Linda Blair talks cameo look in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’
Blair made a cameo look in “The Exorcist: Believer” that was launched earlier this yr.
“I made sure that they took care of the girls, got them psychologists and religious leaders and anything that they may need to ask questions,” Blair stated of the ladies within the film. “The girls were fantastic. They were so appreciative of everything I did. And even the adults had questions that they were able to ask and have some comfort.”
The actress advised Fox Information Digital that she was all the time part of the movie as an advisor and couldn’t decide to starring within the movie as a result of time dedication the Linda Blair Worldheart Basis requires.
Linda Blair “unknowingly” stepped away from performing to launch her Worldheart Basis in 2003. (Photograph by Vincent Sandoval/WireImage)
The Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation is an animal and human welfare group that was launched in 2003. Based on the muse’s web site, its mission is to “alleviate suffering, while rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming abused, neglected and abandoned animals. We aid in crisis situations, while educating, encouraging and empowering the public to make a difference in the lives of those whom have no voice.”
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When it received to a sure level within the filming course of, the movie’s producers requested Blair to make a cameo look. She famous that all the pieces along with her basis was taken care of – on behalf of the film – and she or he was capable of step away, fly to the set in secret and shock the remainder of the solid.
Linda Blair stated the “crass language” in “The Exorcist” got here from director William Friedkin. (Warner Brothers/Getty Photos)
“You should have seen everybody’s faces as they realized it was me,” Blair stated. “I walked on the set, and they said, ‘Roll, sound and action.’ Ellen [Burstyn] and I just did our magic for everybody and I hope everybody really appreciated that.”
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Blair first appeared in “The Exorcist” in 1973 earlier than reprising her position as Regan MacNeil within the sequel, “Exorcist II: The Heretic” in 1977.
