A new documentary on the life and career of the late Jason Miller, who played Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist, is set to premiere in the U.S. PBS Channels during March. Titled Miller’s Tale, the film It will also be available on DVD soon after.
After so many years, I simply cannot fathom anyone else in the role of Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist. Jason Miller absolutely devoted himself to that role which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The same year The Exorcist was released, Miller received the Pulitzer Prize for his play That Championship Season. Instantly his name was renowned in Hollywood. How did such a remarkable year affect him behind closed doors many years later?
This same question prompted Filmmaker Rebecca Marshall Ferris to document the life of Jason Miller after hearing of his passing in 2001, aged 62. Now, the completed project is ready for audiences. It features interviews with The Exorcist director William Friedkin, Martin Sheen, Paul Sorvino, Stacy Keach, and Bruce Dern.
You can view the trailer and official synopsis below.
Miller’s Tale official synopsis:
Best known as Father Karras in The Exorcist, Jason Miller experienced a brief but brilliant period of national acclaim, then curiously abandoned Hollywood to return to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The town reveled in the presence of its local celebrity but not many understood why he had come back. Why did this Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who experienced such explosive beginnings never write a Broadway play again? And what happened to Jason in Hollywood that would make him run away?When Miller died in 2001, filmmaker Rebecca Marshall Ferris set out with a camera to find some answers. Through a personal and intimate narrative, Miller’s Tale examines the themes that weave our lives together: dreams of success, personal failure, passion for art, and small town pride. Featuring Martin Sheen, Paul Sorvino, Stacy Keach, Bruce Dern, and William Friedkin. Funded by the Independent Television Service.