Janet Leigh had an unforgettable role in one of the most popular horror films ever made, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic Psycho. Her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, went on to become one of the horror genre’s most popular leading ladies, having starred in the likes of The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, Road Games, and multiple entries in the Halloween franchise, among other horror credits, starting with the first Halloween in 1978. Curtis got her acting career started in 1977, when she was 18 years old – but during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, she revealed that she might have made her acting debut years earlier, if her mom hadn’t turned down the chance to have her audition for the 1973 hit The Exorcist.
The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on Blatty’s own novel (which was loosely inspired by actual events), The Exorcist is one of the most profitable horror movies ever made, having made over $441 million at the box office on a budget of $12 million. The synopsis: When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.
Linda Blair, who is just two months younger than Curtis, turned 14 during the production of The Exorcist.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Regan?
Speaking with Barrymore, Curtis said that a producer who was involved with The Exorcist called her mom to see about having Curtis audition for the role of Regan. She said (with thanks to The Hollywood Reporter for the transcription), “He called my mom and said, ‘Hey, I’m producing the movie of the book The Exorcist. Will you let Jamie audition for it?’ And at the time I was probably 12 and, like, cute and kind of sassy and I had some personality, and I’m sure he saw me at a party and was like, ‘Oh, she’d be funny.’ And my mother said, ‘No.’ My mom really wanted me to have, thank God, a childhood, which I understand you didn’t get. You didn’t get that option. People didn’t step in and say, ‘No, she will have a childhood. She will have protection.’“
Curtis did have the chance to watch the movie soon after it was released: “We had a house that actually had a screening capability and we screened The Exorcist for my 15th birthday, for my friends. It scared me so badly that my friends would taunt me in school.“
Curtis is thankful that her mother didn’t let her get anywhere near The Exorcist, and it all worked out in the long run. But would you like to get a glimpse into a dimension where Curtis actually did play Regan in The Exorcist? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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