20 Things You Didn't Know About The Exorcist
15. Regan's Demonic Voice Was Created Organically By Another Actress
Although the initial idea was to edit Linda Blair's voice for the possession scenes, Director William Friedkin wasn't totally convinced by the results.
Friedkin opted to bring in radio actress Mercedes McCambridge to help with creating Regan's demonic tones. McCambridge took the role very seriously and went to some pretty extraordinary lengths to sound as disturbing as possible.
Breaking her sobriety to drink whiskey heavily in recording sessions in order to sound more aggressive. Chain-smoking, eating raw eggs before recording, and even vomiting between takes to make her voice sound rougher. It seems fair to say McCambridge went all-in on her performance, but it certainly paid off.
Sadly, McCambridge received no credit for her work and fell out with Friedkin. She later sought help from the Screen Actor's Guild and successfully obtained her credit after suing Warner Bros.
Linda Blair's chances of winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress were also ruined when McCambridge's involvement with the project became publicly known. This was in spite of her winning a Golden Globe in the same category, but some members and critics from the Academy felt Blair was taking credit for another actor's work, and that couldn't stand.