Linda Blair would happily reprise her “Exorcist” character (on one condition for fans)

To mark the 50th anniversary of horror classic "The Exorcist," the actress recalls working with the late William Friedkin and contemplates her future as Regan.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Exorcist: Believer.

Fifty years ago this month, cinemagoers were shocked and surprised by a new release and horror classic-in-the-making called The Exorcist. Among their number? Linda Blair, who played Regan, the possessed, vomit-spewing daughter of Ellen Burstyn's Chris MacNeil.

"When the movie came out, it was released at a special engagement in New York City and we all watched it on a large screen," says Blair, whose other credits include 1979's Roller Boogie, 1990's spoof comedy Repossessed, and 1996's Scream. "As the movie played, I realized, oh, that's what we were doing, that’s how that was put together," she tells EW.

Directed by William Friedkin, with a cast which also included Max von Sydow and Jason Miller, the movie would go on to become a record-breaking hit. The film is also of the few horror tales to be embraced by the Academy, securing 10 Oscar nominations — including a Best Supporting Actress nod for Blair — and two wins, in the categories of Best Sound and Best Screenplay. Blair also scored a Golden Globe for her worryingly believable performance as a young girl possessed the demon Pazuzu.

The actress recalls that the film's studio Warner Bros. sent her on a world tour, "so that people could see that I was just a normal child, I was an actor, and that I was fine and healthy and well, and not emotionally engaged in the project. So they took me to Australia, and England, and then they sent me to Japan."

Blair has fond memories of working with the legendary Friedkin, who died in August at the age of 87.

"Basically, between him and Ellen Burstyn, they taught me how to act," Blair says. "He taught me to always not settle, but be the best that you can be."

Also? Friedkin bought her a horse!

"They knew they had been very demanding on me, and for my birthday, they went to my mom and said, 'What does she want?'" recalls Blair. "She was like, 'She wants a horse!' So Billy did buy me my first actual horse. I named it Buster after Billy."

Blair reprised the role of Regan in 1977's notorious bomb Exorcist II: The Heretic and then steered clear of the franchise until her surprise cameo appearance alongside Burstyn at the end of this year's David Gordon Green-directed The Exorcist: Believer. The actress had initially signed on to act as a technical advisor on the film, working with young actresses Lidya Jewett and Olivia O'Neill, and agreed to appear onscreen partly to make clear she was supportive of the project and partly because of her friendship with Burstyn. Blair explains that the pair "knew this would be something very special and magical, so we brought everything that we needed to bring to the scene. It was just one take, one take, one take, and they did a little behind-the-scenes [shooting], but very little because Ellen didn't want it. She really stays in character. I can pop in and out, probably because of the original movie. I had to learn out to pop in and out of character!"

The Exorcist: Believer is the first film in a planned trilogy. The actress reveals she would be happy to reprise the role of Regan, but that she is currently too busy with her non-profit, the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, which is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abused or abandoned animals.

"If the audience wants me to come back, they need to help me to change the plight of the animals right now," she says. "I’m hoping the public will understand. I want to go back and work, but I won’t leave my animal friends."

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.