Linda Blair
Surprising cameo in the “Exorcist” sequel
Lina Blair in “The Exorcist” in 1973 and today.
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Surprising guest appearance: Linda Blair has a secret cameo in The Exorcist: Confession. That’s how it came about.
Exactly 50 years after her breakthrough in the groundbreaking horror film “The Exorcist”: Linda Blair (64) returns to her role as the formerly possessed Regan MacNeil in the late sequel “The Exorcist – Confession” (now in cinemas). But only in a short cameo appearance. And it was so secret that not even the crew knew about it, as director David Gordon Green (48) now revealed to the US magazine “People”.
On the documents from the day of shooting, Linda Blair was given the code name Bartholomew. “Nobody had any idea what was going to happen,” David Gordon Green told People.
2021 had Linda Blair still announced via social mediathat she won’t be seen in the new “Exorcist”. It is not known whether she did not know about her guest appearance at the time or whether it was already a deception.
This is how the director convinced Linda Blair to do her cameo
David Gordon Green initially brought Linda Blair onto the set of “The Exorcist – Confession” as a consultant. It should help ensure that the child actors in the sequel receive the best possible care. After all, she was only 14 years old when she played Regan, who was possessed by the demon Pazuzu, in “The Exorcist.”
“We had a lot of conversations about having a child psychologist on set and what to do during production and after production,” says Green about working with Linda Blair. This is how the two got to know each other from an “ethical, creative standpoint.”
That’s behind “The Exorcist – Confession”
In a surprising mini-appearance, Linda Blair meets Ellen Burstyn (90). She played her mother Chris in The Exorcist. She can also be seen in this role in the late sequel. As it turns out in the scene together, mother and daughter have a strained relationship. They haven’t spoken to each other in years.
The focus of “Exorcism – Confession” is the single father Victor, played by Leslie Odom Jr. (42). His daughter and her best friend behave strangely after disappearing into the forest. In desperation, Victor turns to Chris MacNeil. The former actress has become an expert in exorcisms following her daughter’s obsession 50 years ago.
The next horror classic
With “The Exorcist – Confession” David Gordon Green brings the next horror classic to new life. In 2018 he filmed a sequel to “Halloween”, back then for the 40th anniversary of the slasher with Jamie Lee Curtis (64). Two “Halloween” sequels followed in 2021 and 2022.
As with “Halloween,” Green follows the original in “The Exorcist.” He ignores the partly artistically questionable sequels to both series. As with “Halloween,” a trilogy is also planned for “Exorcist.” It is not yet known whether and to what extent Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn will be involved in the following parts.
Linda Blair: Third appearance as Regan
Even though it wasn’t her first film, “The Exorcist” marked Linda Blair’s breakthrough in 1973. The former child model became an overnight star with the first major horror blockbuster in film history and received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for the role.
Four years later, Linda Blair took on the role of Regan again. In “Exorcist II – The Heretic” the demon Pazuzu enters her body again. The sequel flopped both with critics and at the box office. She was missing from the other successors, which Green now ignores.
In 1977, Blair, then 18, was arrested for drug possession. After a sabbatical in 1978, during which she competed in horse shows, Linda Blair returned to film. She was mainly offered horror films, but she was never able to match the success of “The Exorcist”.
In the comedy “Possessed by all spirits!” She parodied her “Exorcist” image alongside “Naked Gun” star Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010) in 1990. She had a short appearance as a reporter in “Scream” in 1996. From 2000 to 2006, Linda Blair hosted the TV show “Scariest Places on Earth” about places supposedly haunted by supernatural events.