CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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HollywoodChicago.com: You have devoted a large portion of your life to animal advocacy. In your opinion, what is the greatest crime against the animal kingdom now in our modern world?
Linda Blair: That a lot of people don’t realize that the animals are in trouble, it’s an American crisis. I saw it coming in 1997 when I started rescuing animals. In 2003, I started the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation because I felt that the people who had resources were not stepping up to the plate enough, to get us out of this crisis. Therefore, I started the foundation to speak out, for example, against dog fighting. My stature as a little white chick had people saying I couldn’t be telling the truth. And it took a Michael Vick for everyone to believe me.
I’ve been working on a documentary on puppy mills. I served my country by rescuing during Hurricane Katrina and I’ve made my childhood dream my adult life’s work. It is my goal to make changes in this country before I die on behalf of the animals.
HC: You seemed to work constantly starting at the age of five, with 75 commercials to your credit by the time you did The Exorcist. Looking back, do you appreciate what the experience did for your life or do you think you would have been better off having less of a hectic childhood?
LB: I wanted to be a veterinarian, but my mother’s philosophy was by working and saving money I could pursue my dreams. She was ahead of her time, and that’s what she always explained to me. I took riding lessons, piano, ballet, sailing and gymnastics. She gave me a very well-rounded life so I could make my choices. And my choice after I was 12-13 years old was to quit show business and go back to my original desire to be a veterinarian. And the interview for ‘The Exorcist’ came along exactly within those three months at that time. And it changed my life.
The films that followed The Exorcist, were as difficult as that film, but they changed prime time television, like ‘Born Innocent,’ ‘Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic’ and ‘Sweet Hostage’ with Martin Sheen. I couldn’t understand at the time why I kept being put into these taboo projects. I was criticized and misunderstood because of them, but I was only doing what the business was making me do. Then I would go back to school, back to training with my horses, but I did feel like I was overworked. I am proud, however, of the projects that I was given that at the time made me so controversial. But it wasn’t really who I was.
It does give me a platform now for the animals. As I got older, and I realized I could make a difference, and I had people out there that I admired like Doris Day, they were the ones shining a light on the animal crisis. It’s my turn to step up to the plate because the animals need all of us.
HC: Exorcist 2: The Heretic was roundly assaulted by critics, but was also praised by luminaries such as Martin Scorsese and Pauline Kael. You’re on record saying the constant rewriting was the problem, but how do you look at the film today?
LB: With The Heretic, they had discussed making a Part Two for a long time. They brought me a script that was very good, they brought in Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher and Director John Boorman. There were several re-writes, John Boorman brought in Rospo Pallenberg to work on the script, which I still don’t understand. Pallenberg directed a lot of the film. Other people on the set were getting sick with a weird flu, I wasn’t a part of that. There were so many factors that just didn’t work in association with the film. It just wasn’t the project that I signed on to do.
Full interview: http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/11312/interview-linda-blair-of-the-exorcist-reflects-on-the-devil-inside#ixzz0tq96xujz
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