Overview
- Curtis recalled that producer Ray Stark, a family friend, asked Janet Leigh to let her preteen daughter read for Regan MacNeil.
- Leigh declined, and Curtis said she is grateful now, framing the decision as parental protection from early fame and potential trauma.
- The role went to Linda Blair, whose performance in the 1973 film earned an Academy Award nomination.
- Curtis contrasted her upbringing with Barrymore’s experience as a child actor, noting she did not begin film work until Halloween at age 19.
- The anecdote resurfaces as The Exorcist franchise develops a new film from Mike Flanagan, with reports that Scarlett Johansson has joined the project.