Linda Blair moves acting career beyond ‘The Exorcist’

Having appeared in commercials and soaps from age 5, Linda Blair became famous in “The Exorcist,” made when she was 14. Now 45, she looks back on the experience with mixed emotions.

“Everyone thought I understood the concept and what it was about, but, in fact, it was a horribly difficult journey,” says Blair, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. “It was exciting, but a big struggle for a child actor, and nothing could prepare me for the image.”

The 1977 sequel “Exorcist II: The Heretic” proved less rewarding. “It was the most difficult film I ever did, and it wasn’t what we’d signed to do,” she says. “But I did get to work with Richard Burton.”

In the years since, Blair has made teen dramas (“Roller Boogie,” “Wild Horse Hank”), thrillers (“Chained Heat”) and comedies (“Night Patrol”). She spoofed her horror background in 1990’s “Repossessed,” and in 1997 her image was in Times Square — complete with spinning head — when she appeared in “Grease” on Broadway.

Along with indie and TV films, Blair is now throwing her energy into her nonprofit animal-rights venture, the Worldheart Foundation, and a documentary tentatively titled “Living with Dogs and Cats in America.”

She isn’t pleased that ads for the new “Exorcist: The Beginning” use images of her as the young Regan.

“It’s misleading,” she says. “I’m not in the film, I’ve gotten no compensation. And ‘The Exorcist’ still affects people’s perceptions of me.”