Original star of The Exorcist Ellen Burstyn reveals why she's returning for the upcoming reboot of the supernatural horror series. The new film will serve as a direct sequel/reboot to the 1973 William Friedkin original, which is widely regarded as one of the scariest films of all time, and will be the first in a trilogy. David Gordon Green is directing the film, which will keep every previous movie in The Exorcist franchise as canon, unlike Green's recent Halloween trilogy, which ignored every film but the 1978 original. Green co-wrote the script alongside Peter Sattler, Scott Teems, and Danny McBride, and Jason Blum is producing the film under his Blumhouse Productions.
Burstyn played Chris MacNeil in the 1973 original, an actress who's just moved to Georgetown when her young daughter Regan (Linda Blair) is possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Although she'd had a breakout performance in 1971's The Last Picture Show, Warner Bros. saw Burstyn as an unknown enough commodity that they were afraid to let her lead the film. They needn't be; although met with mixed critical reception, The Exorcist became the highest-grossing film at the box office that year, eventually grossing $441.3 million and becoming the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Despite being such a major character in the first film, Burstyn turned down coming back for any of The Exorcist's sequels, until now. In an interview with THR, Burstyn reveals what convinced her to return after her 50-year absence. The answer lies not in more money (or not only in more money), but in something altogether more altruistic. Check out her quote below:
"You know, what happened was I’ve turned down many versions of The Exorcist 2. I’ve said no every time. This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no. And then they surprised me and they came back and said, “We doubled the offer.” I said, “OK, let me think about this.” I thought, “That’s a lot of money. Let me think about it.” The next thought that came to mind was: “I feel like the devil is asking my price.” And the next thought that came to mind was, “My price is a scholarship program for talented students at our master’s degree program at Pace University. That’s my price.” So I then went back and upped their up and ended up getting what I want. And I’ve got a scholarship program for young actors."
Despite her pivotal role, no offer has been made to Linda Blair to return as Regan. Since Burstyn seems to be the only legacy cast member still alive that is being asked to return, the now 89-year-old actress seems to be using her position to help pay it forward. The Actor's Studio, which was co-founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan, is where such Hollywood legends including Burstyn, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Marilyn Monroe, and many others have perfected their craft. Masters programs aren't cheap, but thanks to Burstyn's contribution, maybe the financial burden of seeking higher learning will be a little more bearable for some future acting students.
A major part of the original The Exorcist's success was due to the acting performances, especially Burstyn, who puts the audience in her shoes as a mother going through the emotional wringer. So it's heartening to see someone like Burstyn not only use their clout for good, but to see her know her own self-worth and have that self-worth be recognized by what the studio is willing to pay her. It's especially heartening given Neve Campbell's recent departure from the Scream franchise for a studio failing to give her a fair salary, despite that franchise leaning far more on Campbell than The Exorcist series has on Burstyn. Even if it's only for a much smaller part, it will be exciting to see Burstyn return to the role that made her a star.
Source: THR