I know she had serious (and understandable!) issues with the director of the first film, but this was a different director.
And Ellen Burstyn was not a huge film star at the time (she had a few good roles), nor is she now.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I don't know for sure, but I imagine that the first movie was such a harrowing experience for her (but worth it for obvious reasons), that she did not want to go through anything like it again. From what I heard, she was injured on the set and also there was the curse (or coincidence, whatever you prefer) with 9 people who were involved with the film dying, I bet the first film was a stressful and traumatic experience that she did not want to be repeated. I don't know this for a fact, but if I had to guess, that would be it.
Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.
She probably read the script.
shareDon't forget, she also won the Best Actress Oscar the year after The Exorcist. I'm sure she was seeking out other, more prestigious projects to do aside from an unnecessary and poorly written sequel.
shareI don't think the sequel was unnecessary or poorly written, but I would love to know how the film would've changed plotwise if Ellen Burstyn were to appear in it.
Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.
Perhaps she took the time to read the script and recognized the film for the turkey that it was destined to be. Burstyn wasn't a big star and was somewhat starved for roles at various points in her career, but evidently she wasn't that desperate.
shareWas she officially OFFERED a role in this movie? I bet she was but I have never heard that she was for sure.
share[deleted]
Because she is not a stupid woman. The Original Director wasn't involved. The screenplay wasn't written by another writer. THE EXORCIST should of never had a sequel. There was no where to go in just 4 years! However today you could make a sequel! In this sequel you throw away all the other sequels and act like they don't exist! The original characters are now urban legends and they are sought out(by the church) to help a family who has a member that is possessed.
That's just a matter of opinion. I admit, if I was alive back in 1977 and heard they were making a sequel to The Exorcist, I would've been pretty skeptical. But seeing the movie would've put all my worries to rest because I think it is a truly great film. As this film proved, there were many places to go in just 4 years. Even though Regan didn't remember the events from the previous film, it still would've been a traumatic experience to know three people died and you are being blamed for it. Plus, it would be the biggest news story in history seeing as how Regan is the daughter of a world famous actress, and if she dared to try to leave the house, people would treat her like a monster and she would be an outcast from society. How she deals with the aftermath of the exorcism would be an interesting story in itself and I think the sequel touched on those issues quite nicely.
Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.
In 1976, Ellen Burstyn signed on to do a film titled PROVIDENCE, which was filming pretty much at the same time as E2. Had this not been the case, however, I'm not sure she would have participated in the film anyway.
In her autobiography, she indicated that she felt she'd done a good job in the first film and didn't feel there was anything new she could do with the character. Besides, her character had been victimized as much as Regan and she wasn't looking to repeat that kind of performance.