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Jamie Lee Curtis Says Janet Leigh Blocked Her From Auditioning for The Exorcist at Age 12

The actor told The Drew Barrymore Show she is grateful her mother kept her out of child stardom.

Overview

  • Curtis recounted that producer Ray Stark asked Janet Leigh to let her 12-year-old daughter audition for The Exorcist, but Leigh refused.
  • She praised her mother for safeguarding her childhood and contrasted that experience with Drew Barrymore’s early start.
  • Linda Blair ultimately played Regan in the 1973 film and received an Academy Award nomination for the performance.
  • Curtis’ film breakthrough came later at age 19 with Halloween, which set the course for her long association with horror.
  • Coverage also notes reports that Scarlett Johansson has signed on for a Mike Flanagan–led Exorcist reboot from Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.