The now-legendary cast of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist came together in 1973 to make one of the most influential horror films of all time, but a different actor once held the role of Father Karras. Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, many horror fans list The Exorcist as one of the best horror films ever made, having been selected to be preserved in 2010 by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry.
The Exorcist follows the story of Regan MacNeil, a young girl who suffers a demonic possession, and her mother’s desperate attempts to save her by soliciting a priest, Father Karras, for an exorcism. The acting, special effects, writing, and atmosphere of this iconic horror film still hold up to this day, maintaining the bar-to-meet as a standard of terrifying audiences.
Despite the modern-day success of The Exorcist, casting the movie was no easy feat. In addition to the challenge of finding the perfect actress to play Regan, filling the other starring roles of Regan’s mother Chris and the young priest, Father Karras, also required a great deal of effort, auditioning, and screen tests before just the right people were cast.
All the Actors Who Almost Played Father Damien Karras
William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty were very particular about the types of actors they wanted to play each role in The Exorcist. While the studio would have preferred big-name actors, the filmmakers preferred lesser-known talent, a decision which would ultimately pay out big in terms of horror and believability in the finished film.
Blatty and Friedkin set out to cast Chris MacNeil, the mother, and Father Karras, the young priest, first in the film. Jack Nicholson was one of the first names considered for the part, though was ultimately rejected. Paul Newman, reportedly, was also one of several actors interested in the part of Damien Karras, though was never auditioned.
Ultimately, Stacy Keach (Escape from L.A., American History X) was hired by William Blatty for the role, and was all set up to play the part. After Friedkin spotted Jason Miller in his play, That Championship Season, in New York, he asked to speak with Miller after seeing the show. Originally, he intended to talk about the lapsed Catholicism in the play as background research in preparing for The Exorcist. When he met with Miller, Friedkin mentioned that he was working on a film adaptation of The Exorcist, and loaned him a copy of the book.
Friedkin was surprised when Miller actually called him back after reading the novel and told him, “that guy is me”. He wanted the part of Father Karras. Miller had gone to Catholic school, and had even studied to be a Jesuit priest for three years at the Catholic University of America until experiencing a crisis of faith, just as Karras does at the beginning of The Exorcist. Friedkin thanked him for his interest, but told him Stacy Keach had already been signed.
Miller had done some stage acting, but had never been in a film. He asked to at least be given a screen test before he was completely rejected. After taking the train to Los Angeles, Friedkin set Miller up with Ellen Burstyn, who was newly cast in the role of Chris, and had them act out the scene where Chris tells Karras she thinks Regan might be possessed. Afterwards, Friedkin instructed Burstyn to interview Miller about his life with the camera focusing on him from over her shoulder. Finally, he asked Miller to say Mass as if he was doing it for the first time; Friedkin detailed this in his autobiography, The Friedkin Connection.
The director liked Miller a great deal for the role, especially since he was so passionate about the part, and felt that his screen test was promising. Miller’s fate was eventually sealed after Friedkin watched the tapes the next day, recognizing Miller’s "dark good looks, haunted eyes, quiet intensity, and low, compassionate voice" was exactly what the part needed. After this decision, the studio bought out Stacy Keach’s contract at Friedkin’s insistence, and Jason Miller was cast as Father Karras in The Exorcist.