Linda Blair | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Episode: Linda Blair | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Billy Corgan
Guest: Linda Blair

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Overview:

This heartfelt and candid conversation between Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and actress/activist Linda Blair traverses Blair’s life from child stardom to her advocacy for animal rights. The discussion spans her early years, the complexities and trauma of The Exorcist, media scrutiny, her passion for animals, life after fame, and her current work with the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. The episode is intimate, unflinching, and punctuated with humor and mutual empathy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life and Unexpected Path to Fame

• Linda Blair’s Childhood: Born in St. Louis, moved to Connecticut at age 2 ([01:06]). Started as a child model around age 6 after her mother read an article about children modeling ([01:06], [02:02]).
• Commercial Work: Booked her first commercial for Downy, then did 75+ commercials for products like Ivory Soap, Golden's Mustard, and dolls ([02:14]-[03:26]).
• Perspective on Fame: Blair never aspired to stardom; her childhood dream was to be a veterinarian ([03:49]).
  • “I had always told mom…that I wanted to be a doctor to the animals…we knew that was a veterinarian.” – Linda Blair ([03:49])

2. Nature, Animals, and Survival in Childhood

• Nature as Sanctuary: Her Connecticut home instilled a love for animals and quietude ([04:34]-[06:39]).
• Cats & Companionship: Animals were her constant support during lonely periods as a working child ([04:34]-[06:39]).

3. Transition from Commercials to Acting

• Early Films: Started acting in 'The Sporting Club' at age 10 ([06:59]-[07:20]), and ‘The Way We Live Now’ ([08:59]).
• Pivotal Experience: Witnessing chained elephants and caged lions during a shoot at the Bronx Zoo changed her perspective on captivity and led to a lifelong commitment to animal welfare ([09:22]-[10:50]).

4. The Exorcist: Audition, Trauma, and Aftermath

• Accidental Role: Nearly quit acting before landing the Exorcist role ([11:12]). “If it had been a month, two months later, it wouldn't have been me.” ([11:12])
• Audition Memories: Reading for the part; “I remember their faces, their eyeballs getting really, you know, big and said, can you do it again but angrier” – Linda Blair ([12:17])
• Understanding the Project: As a 13-year-old, didn’t comprehend the implications; thought levitation and head-spinning were special effects ([14:05], [14:37]).
• On Director William Friedkin (“Billy”): Credits him as a “master manipulator” but discusses feeling like a puppeteer’s marionette ([15:07]-[15:10]). Admits she’s only now ready to share difficult truths in her forthcoming book ([21:26]).
• Child Actor Advocacy: “Don’t ever do it to another child.” – Linda Blair ([21:21])
• Emotional Toll: The pain of her experience contrasted with the public’s enjoyment of the film ([21:26]).
• Media and Exploitation: Subjected to religious attacks, scapegoating, and press invasiveness worldwide ([30:16]-[33:44]). “I was the most famous person in the world. And they want a piece of that and the headlines. It was a hot mess.” ([32:48])
• Security Threats: Even dealt with FBI involvement due to threats ([33:33]-[33:44]).

5. After The Exorcist: Typecasting, “The Machine,” and Struggles

• No Control: Continued acting due to industry pressure and lack of agency as a minor ([37:36]-[39:21], [56:51]).
  • “Their job was to find the money and put her to work. It's called the machine.” – Linda Blair ([56:51])
• Controversial Roles: Born Innocent, Airport 75, and more; constantly cast in provocative content ([48:48]-[55:34]).
• Typecasting: Discusses era’s strict genre limitations for actors ([58:09]).
• Attempts at Normalcy & Escape: Horses and equestrianism as refuge ([64:45]-[65:45]). Used an assumed name to compete ([64:21]).
• Media Body-Shaming: Hurt by tabloid obsession with her weight, which contributed to depression ([65:45]-[66:41]).
  • “Shame on them for belittling me…You're a teenager and it's hard enough.” – Linda Blair ([65:50])

6. Rock ’n’ Roll Family: Finding Acceptance in Music

• Musician Relationships: Close bonds with artists like Rick Springfield, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Aerosmith; music world provided safety and normalcy ([67:55]-[68:38]).
• Romantic and Platonic Ties: Friendship and romance with Rick Springfield; the music industry “let me be me” ([78:10]-[83:56]).

7. Personal Challenges and Health

• Arrest and Misunderstanding: Arrested in a high-profile drug sting—her innocence largely misunderstood ([71:20]-[73:52]).
• Ongoing Health Struggles: Lifelong issues with ulcerated intestine diagnosis and, more recently, almost dying from a thyroid storm and pneumonia ([84:27], [104:02]-[107:00]).
  • “To be challenged with a life-threatening situation…there are many actresses that are coming out now and saying that they have Graves disease. I have Graves disease and it attacks your immune system.” – Linda Blair ([105:53])
• Advocacy for Medical Awareness: Opens up publicly for the first time about her health to draw attention to autoimmune disease ([107:31]).

8. Animal Advocacy and Life’s Purpose

• Turning Trauma into Action: Experience of losing her dog to theft altered her life direction—started working with Last Chance for Animals ([87:45]-[90:44]).
• Founding the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation: Large-scale rescue, focus on ending animal abuse, breed bans, and pet theft ([92:13], [103:02]-[109:30]).
• Veganism and Holistic Living: Lifelong commitment to vegetarian diet for health and compassion; co-authored “Going Vegan” ([83:56]-[90:44]).
  • “That’s why we're vegans. And if people just look online, read some articles for yourself and understand, health to your family and health to you. So that was why and where that comes from.” ([90:44])
• Desert Dog Rescue Narrative: Evocative, emotional segment where Blair introduces a rescue puppy, “Billy,” rescued from the desert—a living symbol of her work ([100:10]-[103:02]).
  • “This dog was dumped in the desert and we just pulled 50 dogs out…This is what's happening.” – Linda Blair ([100:33])

9. Reflection on Legacy & Hope for Compassion

• Staying True to Herself:
  • “I have not changed. Nobody can know exactly. They weren't there when I was six and seven…You can see it in every single interview. I've never strayed.” ([97:01])
• Connecting with Others’ Pain: Sees her own story and activism as means to speak for the voiceless, both human and animal ([98:59]-[99:19]).
• Call to Action: Urges listeners to adopt and foster rescue animals, volunteer, and contribute to local causes ([108:13]-[109:30]).
  • “This holiday season, please, we need your help. Give to your local charity rescue, volunteer. I promise your person if you're going through something, an angel will be there.” ([108:30])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Childhood Fame:
  “I still don't want to be famous. However, that was the carrot.” – Linda ([04:34])
• On Playing Reagan:
  “Do what they say, do what they say. And this is the problem, you know, with child abuse.” ([25:58])
• On Hollywood's Machine:
  “Because you were told, your next job, job, your next job…They wouldn't let you walk away.” ([59:59])
• On Animal Rescue:
  “That's why we're vegans…health to your family and health to you. So that was why and where that comes from.” ([90:44])
• On Media Pressure:
  “Shame on them. Shame, shame, shame on them for belittling me.” ([65:50])
• On Spiritual Platform:
  “I believe that…everybody wants something for you. They want to understand that something that affected their life…we must be more compassionate.” ([48:27])
• On Purpose:
  “If I've done something good through all the hardship, the challenges…that's a gift.” ([93:16])
• On Resilience:
  “I can't stop who I am, Billy. I can't.” ([105:53])
• On Advocacy:
  “Let's just stop human and animal abuse and make the world a better place.” ([107:00])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:06]-[03:26]: Linda’s entry into modeling and commercials
• [04:34]-[06:39]: Animals as emotional support; childhood aspirations
• [09:22]-[10:50]: Bronx Zoo experience shaping animal rights advocacy
• [11:12]-[14:37]: How Blair got cast in The Exorcist (audition recollections)
• [21:21]: Blair’s warning: “Don't ever do it to another child.”
• [32:48]: On the overwhelming global press/scandal after The Exorcist
• [56:51]: The reality of “the machine” and child actors
• [64:45]-[66:41]: Equestrian life, media scrutiny and coping with body shaming
• [67:55]-[68:38]: Musician friendships and finding family in rock
• [83:56]-[90:44]: Veganism, animal rights, and losing her dog—turning point for activism
• [100:10]-[103:02]: Live rescue story—Brings a puppy named “Billy” on the show
• [104:02]-[107:00]: Health battles: Graves disease, nearly dying, advocacy for medical awareness
• [108:13]-[109:30]: Final plea for animal adoption, compassion, and volunteerism

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Conclusion

This episode is a raw, honest, and uplifting portrait of a woman who transformed childhood pain and public scrutiny into a lifelong mission of empathy and protection for the innocent—both animals and people. Blair’s unwavering authenticity and vulnerability, paired with Corgan’s thoughtful questioning and shared experiences, create a space where difficult truths are aired but hope and advocacy prevail.

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Resources & Links

• Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation: lindablairworldheart.org
• How to Help: Foster, adopt, volunteer, and donate at your local animal rescues or at the above foundation.
• Book: “Going Vegan” by Linda Blair

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Note: This summary is focused on the primary content and omits all intros, ad reads, and outros.

Transcript

[Linda Blair]

I remember their faces, their eyeballs getting really, you know, big, and said, can you do it again?

[Billy Corgan]

But angrier, watching people talk about you, you know, in a sort of outward way, you know, you become the avatar of what's spooky.

[Linda Blair]

We go in and we talk to Billy, and he's like, what are your questions? And I said, well, for me, I don't know how to levitate. I was the most famous person in the world, and they want a piece of in the headlines. It was a hot mess.

[Billy Corgan]

So. So there's really no plan on a future career in the arts?

[Linda Blair]

Hell, no.

[Billy Corgan]

It's animals and animals.

[Linda Blair]

And I have a little bitty surprise.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And then I'm going to tell you something that is really important that I need the public to know.

[Billy Corgan]

Linda, thank you for being here. You honor me with your presence. I'm so excited to talk to you.

[Linda Blair]

Well, vice versa.

[Billy Corgan]

We're going to go way back. Yes, we are, because I started here. How does one become a child model? That's what I want to know.

[Linda Blair]

So in around 1966, I was born in St. Louis, Missouri. My family moved up to Connecticut when I was 2, so New York is very close. There was an article in Timer Life magazine talking about children modeling and in commercial. Now, there were a few kids that were maybe doing Broadway or you had your child actors in California. But this was something. Oh, you know, like a model. So mom found an agent and got the pictures done. Her name was Dorothy Lohman. And we just started interviews.

[Billy Corgan]

How old?

[Linda Blair]

About six.

[Billy Corgan]

And you remember this?

[Linda Blair]

Oh, yeah. I mean, some of it is through photos that you can remember certain things. But then I booked my first commercial, which is Downy fabric softener.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And I had to learn how to jump rope. And all the kids are outside playing in the snow, and mom would be like, linda, you have to come in and learn how to jump rope. Jump rope. So it was in Like a lion Outlaw, Like a lamb. And then there was a child jumping rope. I don't know, Billy, you tell me. But that was my first commercial. And then you book another one. So whether it was Ivory soap, I did about six of those. Did Golden's Mustard, Libby's Buttered Vegetables with Tony Randall. I did all the doll commercials. So a lot of stuff is starting to appear on YouTube now. So Tubsy was a doll. Splash, splash, Tubsy in a bath. Little girl. Yay. I the high Heidi girl, you push her button and her hair would grow. I think because there was only about six of us really working that you're hired because you become a professional.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

Use your hand this way. Pick up the doll this way.

[Billy Corgan]

I see.

[Linda Blair]

Move over here.

[Billy Corgan]

You get a rep, basically.

[Linda Blair]

I think that's what. Because I did over 75 commercials.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. Shirley Temple, in her great book, her memoir, she talks about being very conscious of what she was in control of. And she just said, I knew what I was doing and I was very good at it, even though I was a little girl. Were you conscious of that at that time? Sort of being not in control, but, like, knowing, okay, these people need this from me?

[Linda Blair]

And, yes, that part. Yes. And there's three things that come to mind. Number one, it wasn't necessarily something that I was interested to do. I had always told mom, and you can go back over every interview since I came, you know, to the public's attention that I talk about that I wanted to be a doctor to the animals. And mom would always tell me, you wanted to be a doctor to the animals. So obviously, we knew that was a veterinarian. We don't know where it came from, but all my money was put away.

[Billy Corgan]

So your drive was, this is going to go towards my future education. It was a carrot, so you're okay. So it wasn't, I want to be famous or I want to be pretty or anything like that.

[Linda Blair]

Ew, no. And I still don't want to be famous. However, that was the carrot. And then I could save my money. And we had a lot of cats. The cats. So the animals were what kept me, the companionship through if I was lonely. I went to public school in Connecticut, and so I had great friends, and they were used to me working. Mom was always like, you leave the work in New York, we don't talk about it. We don't anything to your friends, to anybody. And we never did. The kids were used to seeing me, but they knew that I wasn't thinking about that. Let's do our gymnastics routine. My brother was a sailor, so he was Long Island Town junior sailing champion. So I was brought aboard for ballast. So I had to learn how to sail. I danced ballet, but horses were my main thing. My cats kept me sane. So when I was feeling lonely, Billy. The cats were the ones that were always there for me. So a lot of people, because of the dog rescue and everything I do for animal welfare, they'll be. But, Linda, what about the cats? I'm like, cats raise me, so I am truly there in heart, but it is really hard to do it all. And so the intent is to keep growing and to Include cats and farm animals, but that. We had chickens, we had bunny rabbits. And I lived in with wildlife because connect. It is such. You could see the deer. Raccoon would come up, possum would come up. My parents were very compassionate people, so they taught, you know, compassion. You had the squirrels and the blue jays. And I grew up just loving that serenity and calm and peace, which is very hard for many people to find, is that calm and nature brings that for me and animals.

[Billy Corgan]

So. So there's really no plan on a future career in the arts?

[Linda Blair]

Hell, no.

[Billy Corgan]

It's all. It's animals and anim. Right. Okay. So at some point, you do start transitioning into acting, though. Is that just an extension of the same? Because you had before Exorcist. You did a couple notable.

[Linda Blair]

There was a movie. Nope. The Sporting club. I was 10 years old, and they hired me. We went to Arkansas, and mom and I, on days off, we're going through. They call it, like, Arkansas diamond, which is. Oh, I don't know. You dig through and find these.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, that's right. They have those kind of diamond fields or crystal fields.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, exactly. So things like that. She always tried to keep me occupied. Books. I lived in books.

[Billy Corgan]

So not a stage mom in any sense of the word?

[Linda Blair]

No, not at all. Good lady. Miss her terribly.

[Billy Corgan]

But did you have an interest in acting?

[Linda Blair]

Yep. So the first movie, they take me down to the makeup room, and I'm sitting there, and the lady comes behind me, the hairdresser, and she goes, oh, we're gonna have to cut off. My hair was probably halfway down my back. Like, my hair was really important to me as a kid. I don't know. It's like I wanted to be a pr. I wanted to be a princess, but I was a tomboy. So anyway, she said, oh, we're gonna have to cut your hair. And I turn around, I turned my head around, and I said, oh, hell no. And I'm like, no, I'm sorry, you can't. And it was a whole big taboo. They got mom, and she said, no, you can use a wig, but you don't cut my daughter's hair. And so, you know, I have a flip to match the mom. I don't know what the movie's about. Do I care? No. So then the next movie was the Way We Live Now. And funny enough, somebody brought me a poster recently, and it said, starring Joanna Miles. And I'm like, wait, what? Joanna Miles was later in my movie Born Innocent.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh.

[Linda Blair]

Which was my campaign. I'm like, does she even know? Oh, my God. I guarantee she never knew. And I didn't know, but. So it's about a divorced couple, and they took me to the zoo. Billy, you know where this is going.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay, I see where this is going.

[Linda Blair]

And they have us in with the elephants chained to the cement. And as a person that is extremely feeling emotional. I get. I can read a lot of information.

[Billy Corgan]

So you're in there with one unhappy element. Elephant or two.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. And it changed my life.

[Billy Corgan]

Tell me how.

[Linda Blair]

Because the message and the chain and the lack of freedom and the not necessary habitat of just cement. Where's life?

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Then they thought they were doing me a favor and they took me back to see some lion cubs. And they were in the cement, in the light, the circus cages. And it's the old Bronx Zoo. And I mean, the pain, Billy. The pain and seeing and knowing that this wasn't right. So years later, I fought. I was one of the people that fought really, really hard to break open the zoos to make them more, you know, for conservation and in natural habitat. So people, yes, we need the kids to learn, but show them in their natural habitat. But to be chained up is barbaric and it's painful. And what a lot of people don't realize. Just the elephant trade, the rhino trade, all of this. And why we are working so hard to stop all of that in Africa.

[Billy Corgan]

So you have no future in your mind as an actress. You don't necessarily want to be in the arts. And then here comes this movie, which you're talking about. I'm talking about. And I don't want to dwell on it too much, but 600 kids were up for the role. At least that's the.

[Linda Blair]

And. And, and what is the truth, you know? So really, I'll never know. Is it pr. Whatever? We know they started in California. And as Billy Friedkin, the director, said, the problem was everybody was already, you know, child threatened. Yeah. And he said that wasn't what I was looking for. So then they did Chicago and went to New York. So I had just told mom that I wanted to stop acting. I wanted to stop the commercials. And I'm like. Because I was 13 and definitely way ahead of myself as far as I knew. My friends were all getting ready for college. Like my brain was somewhere else. And animals. And I said, I really don't want to do this anymore. She's like, okay. The interview, Billy, literally came up within two weeks. If it had been a month, two months later, it wouldn't have been me. I Wanted out. So we go in. I read for Juliet Taylor. So you have to go and read, you know, for casting directors.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

So I read for Juliet Taylor. I remember going in very well. And, you know, you're standing there and they're sitting over there and you have some dialogue and it's pretty filthy, but not what's in the movie. And I remember, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I remember their faces, their eyeballs getting really, you know, big and said, can you do it again but angrier.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

So I could tell they were really excited. Thank you so much went down. I never told my mother anything about anything.

[Billy Corgan]

Was there a reason for that?

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, just I kept it very internal, I think, because I really didn't want to work.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

I didn't like it. So it was like, yeah, I don't want to share it. She didn't that. I mean, she'd be. Are you okay? How did it go?

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah, of course. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

But I wasn't forthcoming at all. So then the next meeting is with Billy Freekin. And I really don't remember that particular first meeting. It's the second meeting where he brought mom in and said, now I want you both to go home. I need you to read the book. So we did. And as a 13 year old, you're reading. Okay. I don't understand all of this. I'm Protestant, so I wasn't raised Catholic, so it didn't mean anything to me. And I didn't understand the language and I didn't understand this. And what I'm reading is I'm not trained to jump up and down off the bed. I'm not trained to levitate. I'm not trained to turn my head around. Seriously, Billy, when kids are young, they don't understand things. And people forget this.

[Billy Corgan]

How can they?

[Linda Blair]

And so I don't know what mom thought. She never said a word. We go in, we talk to Billy and he's like, what are your questions? And I said, well, for me, I don't know how to levitate. I don't know. I don't know how to turn my head around. And he's like, oh, honey, those are called special effects. I still don't have a clue what was on my. Don't you worry about that. Do you have any other question? Nah. So I don't know what the conversation.

[Billy Corgan]

With mom was just because I know it's out of sequence. But I'm curious. You said your mom didn't say anything after she read the book, but later, when she found out, you know, like what you were going to be asked to do. Did it ever become a problem with your mother or. She was okay with it.

[Linda Blair]

Billy. Billy and Billy. Master manipulator. And that's a part. For years I have kept a lot.

[Billy Corgan]

Of what is a director but a master manipulator. Right.

[Linda Blair]

And that's. Some are more by the book, I guess they are. But the people, those that are highly intellectual and creative and have the visions and what they put together, it's not different than what you're doing as an artist. You're receiving information and you're asking for that information. So you're asking musically, you know, it's like Mozart. This stuff is flooding in and you have that as well and that gift. And then you've got the performance. Sure. And you created your character and what you wanted. So a director has to create the whole set. The vision, the film, the tone, the look. And that's when you get into your dp. So sometimes you're going to have, you know, you'll hear what's more granular, it's more grainy, it's more clear and precise. Their production and that whole world of entertainment, whether it's film, television or music, it's a production and so constantly going, so Billy, when I say he was a master manipulator and all the things that I've kept secret for all the years which I am putting in my book, I needed time. I needed to be let go by the puppeteer. And that's how I felt about him. So he had a way, whatever the conversations with him and mom, she always talked about him like a son. So he had his own thing with her. You, you know, you're fine and your daughter's fine and everything's good. What can I do for you? Yeah, so there's that setting.

[Billy Corgan]

So my mind goes in two different directions. Not that it's possible, but in a fun way, if you need the right word. Can you, looking back, because obviously the movie went on to be a classic, can you appreciate the tone that he was after? Setting aside your own experience and your family's experience with it, do you see it in any extant way where you can say, I kind of understood why he was ruthless in what he was after. Does that resonate at all or no?

[Linda Blair]

Billy was driven from his childhood. He was a visionary. He knew what he was attracted to. He wanted to push the limits. He felt he could break open the walls. And there were many walls to break open. That's the thing. When I tell People that I come from black television, I come from the capes over the head to take a picture which took 30 minutes before you could, you know, take your photo. I come from that time. So I have watched people forget how new television and film is. So he is part of that process where he wouldn't buy into. He started, he's one of the first with the action going away. If you watch old movies, old cowboy movies or old gangster movies and just think of it, everybody. You see the black and white, you know, the cars and, you know, and then the car goes, you know, in these different directions or they're bing, bing, and they're riding the horses through the, you know.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, he was a master of action. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And so he's like, no, I'm going to bring live action. So when he did the French Connection, it's well known. I mean, he pushed the limit. That was like some live, unpermitted, drive crazy driving through the streets of Chicago. And he pushed the limit in every way on that. So he. Now there's a whole new world that's opened up and he receives the Academy Award. So it's like, well, what does he do next? So again, he's pushing. He's pushing inside. So he was going to take, as he said he needed a normal, healthy child. Everybody kept thinking Reagan was sick. And that's what he tells me, he told me was everybody was presenting more of a sickly looking, like. Yes. And he said, you come in the door and you look like, you know, Cinderella.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. It's the contrast.

[Linda Blair]

And so because I was the Cinderella girl, Cinderella Has a Ball. It was a children's clothing line. And so he said to take that and turn that image into something that was. Is so misunderstood and feared. That's what he knew.

[Billy Corgan]

So now going the opposite way, do you view, with the hindsight of time, do you view what he did in using you as a child in that particular role? Do you view it as exploitative? Because I think it's pretty clear that that movie couldn't get made now the way it was made.

[Linda Blair]

No, it couldn't.

[Billy Corgan]

There's no way.

[Linda Blair]

So the first step that he took was he took the set to New York and it was a closed set. So nobody's allowed in. No one.

[Billy Corgan]

So no LA gossip.

[Linda Blair]

No, really, they weren't allowed to see dailies. They weren't privy to anything. He kept everything very top secret. And you couldn't do that today, especially.

[Billy Corgan]

Not out here in LA where we're shooting.

[Linda Blair]

So, you know, a lot of the child labor laws and things came from children paying their dues. You know, you've got all of the Little Rascals. Those stories were terrible. You've got your Judy Garland. You've got just all the child stars. And my performance, I am known to say I've been very vocal. Don't ever do it to another child.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. Well, I think that kind of answers the question. I appreciate that.

[Linda Blair]

And I will write more about it, Billy. I mean, that's what the book is for. That's my retirement. That's my gift to the animals. That's my gift to the world, is to tell the truth about what really happened where everybody else gets so excited about it. And that's been hard for me through the years to live with my pain and what I endured, but everybody else's joy, and I get it. So I just go along with it without getting.

[Billy Corgan]

Because I'm not asking for details if you don't want to give them here, but was it as simple as waiting for William Friedkin and not be on this planet anymore? Or is there, like, what. What has kept you from telling that story?

[Linda Blair]

Yes.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. Thank you. I don't want to belabor it because, you know, when I sat. Or Malcolm McDowell sat in that chair, you know, we, We. We jokingly talked about how, you know, he asked about Clockwork Orange every day of his life into infinity. So I try not to do that to you.

[Linda Blair]

Everybody else does it to us, Billy, why stop there?

[Billy Corgan]

I, I guess I, I, My, My. My goal as. As someone who's honored with being able to sit down with someone like yourself is to. Is. Is to just shed something fresh or just something. Try to illuminate a different part of the process. I'm more interested in the emotional part of the journey. I think most people, because I've obviously been interviewed a thousand times, they tend to focus on. They want stories, they want anecdotes. You know what I mean? I'm more interested in.

[Linda Blair]

I can so sure.

[Billy Corgan]

Please.

[Linda Blair]

The difference is when we do press, and that's what the public doesn't really necessarily realize, so they get the press release, and then you have your different people, and they're gonna try to push an envelope with you, Billy, or try to get you to do this, they're given one minute, they're given five minutes, they're given whatever. It's a trick. And we all know what our job is. It's part of the business. It's what they read, whether it's truthful or not, in tabloids and Articles and in interviews. I've certainly seen many interviews with you. I know what you're referring to. And they wanna know about your band members and they wanna know why you made these choices and they wanna know how was for you to write the music. So what you were going through. Why did you do this? I know, but the public doesn't understand this. What you bring to your table, why you were doing this, is your curiosity and intellect that you want to know what is the other side? What's the real people? What are the stories and what are the connections? Yeah, see, I know you, Billy.

[Billy Corgan]

God bless you. So. So the one question I do have about that time, and my only way I can relate to it is when I feel like people are asking about the same thing over and over and over again, it almost becomes surrealistic because you find yourself thinking about one particular day or one particular period of time. It's like looking at the same photo and if you look at it a thousand times, you start to see something behind the tree or something, and then you start thinking, was there actually something behind the tree or am I imagining that?

[Linda Blair]

Billy, that's you. That's not me.

[Billy Corgan]

Can I ask. Can I just ask you my one question? Because Hindsight is always 2020, but you know, 14 year old, you on this, on this closed set, you know, mouthing these obscene lines. You're in a supernatural thriller, but you're just. You're a kid, you're 14 years old. Like, what's your general memory of the ambiance of your. Of. Of.

[Linda Blair]

Of.

[Billy Corgan]

Did you have fun? Did. Were people nice to you? Do you. I mean, just what's your emotional memory at the time? Without what. Knowing what happened afterwards or what came of it? Good, good and bad.

[Linda Blair]

So first off, the next steps are. I was not hired right out. We had to do makeup. Had to do makeup tests, had to do acting. So it was almost probably once a week I'm meeting with Billy and he had me, you know, acting out the lines, acting out the lines, give me more, give me more, give me more. He had it. So I was just so programmed for what? Whether I liked it or not, and I did not enjoy it. Just get it over with. Just do what they say. And this is the problem, you know, with child abuse is do what they say, do what they say.

[Billy Corgan]

Do you look back now and think, why didn't I walk away? Or why didn't I say I don't want to do it?

[Linda Blair]

Or there was no getting out as a child.

[Billy Corgan]

I see.

[Linda Blair]

That's the whole thing, my Born Innocent campaign is children and animals are born innocent. But now enter abuse.

[Billy Corgan]

I see.

[Linda Blair]

Okay, so now we do the makeup test. So, and these are certain things that I've talked about. It's nothing that's new, but certainly interesting for your audiences. Way back in the day, Dick Smith was the, you know, revered makeup artist, and he had done, you know, Creature, the Black Lagoon.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, I know who he is.

[Linda Blair]

Oh, yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

He's the guy who's like the Wolfman transitions and.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, yeah. So all of these heads likenesses, you know, are up on the. On the. His basement wall, all the makeup stuff and everything. And so the first thing they had to do was cast my head, Then they cast my body. Now, what did that entail? Okay, so we are going to put a skull cap on, and then we're going to stick two straws up your nose.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. And then you plaster them.

[Linda Blair]

And then we're going to put the plaster. And we're here. Breathe through the straws. And so there's nothing like sitting there, and the whole world just goes black and you're trying not to wig out. So that's the first one. Then you end that on, and then you have, you know, all these different facial expressions that I had to do. Then later, they had to cast the whole body, you know, in the position to make. It's a lot for a child, too. A little girl with men. Hello. Think of it. It's very hard, and he was very, very honorable and respectful, but I don't care. It's still a young girl with men.

[Billy Corgan]

I see.

[Linda Blair]

So we start the makeup test, and it's a full mask, and Billy freakin says, oh, hell no. You wouldn't know. It could be anybody. I have to know it's her. I need you to cut away the mask but still give me the same imagery that I need. So that's how Dick started making the prosthetics and prosthetics and prosthetics and prosthetics and prosthetics and prosthetics. And then they took away eyebrows. No eyebrows. Blah, blah, blah. And then they put the dry. They took. They couldn't. The wigs weren't looking right, so they took dry shampoo and put that hair shampoo, made it a dry ew in my hair. And so the discomfort from the glue alone and on a young girl's face. So it was. People forget 1973. That was the original glue. And then now we're doing eye drops in order. The numbing drops in order. To use contacts to change the eyes to the green. And so just that alone was very abusive and very, very uncomfortable every day.

[Billy Corgan]

So your overall memory, to summarize my question, was not good. Unpleasant. Okay. I was hoping there was some happiness in there.

[Linda Blair]

The happiness was that I. They always made sure, you know, I got to see my animals on the weekend. Billy did buy me a horse, which would make sense now that you hear all the horrible stories. That was his gift. And that meant a lot to me. But no, it was just, get me out of here. I was very unhappy. Billy.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm sorry to hear that. Two things. I'm going to ask you to put them in the order that makes the most sense. Over here, you win a Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress, you're nominated for an Academy Award. And over here is the sort of the controversy that followed the film when it came out. So in your mind, which came first?

[Linda Blair]

Controversy.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. Did you feel somewhat disassociative from it? It's kind of like, well, I did not my movie. I didn't write the script. I just. I'm acted in it. And I did what they asked me to do and, like, nothing to do with me. Did you feel that? Or did you feel like. Was it emotional to you that it became controversial, all of that?

[Linda Blair]

So at first, it was highly. There was a lot of accolades. And then those accolades went out the door really quick. We had all of the religious groups attacking the film, therefore attacking me. So it becomes this love hate. And I think if they could have hung me by my ankles, they would have.

[Billy Corgan]

But why are they blaming you in that case?

[Linda Blair]

Because they have to blame somebody. Everybody has to blame somebody. And so Warner Brothers and Billy, I mean, they stood up for me. But it was George Cucker that really came after the movie.

[Billy Corgan]

George Cucker? Really?

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. I found that out in a book. And I'm like. Because I didn't know what was setting it off.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, I see.

[Linda Blair]

And I'm saying to mom, why are they lying about me? She goes, I don't know. But always tell the truth and you'll be okay.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And that. That's how I live my life. So they sent me. Now they're like, okay, we have to send you to England.

[Billy Corgan]

They sent you on a press tour.

[Linda Blair]

Oh, my God, Billy. And so I get to England. I mean, when you all really hear about the paparazzi over there in that time and what went down and the Beatles and Princess Diana and the Royal Family, that's serious stuff. They're coming at you from every Angle and it is frightening to the point I couldn't even come out of the hotel room. And you could look out and see this sea full of reporters. The BBC did an amazing documentary on me, and they let me ride in Hyde Park. You know, give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, I have a carriage waiting outside for you.

[Linda Blair]

So that's an amazing documentary because they. They document and show the paparazzi. It was frightening. It was really scary.

[Billy Corgan]

What's the title of that documentary? I read about it, but I don't remember the title.

[Linda Blair]

I don't know. It was just BBC on Linda Blair.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Then they sent me to Australia.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And that was. I liked the Australians. I didn't feel as stalked necessarily. I was the most famous person in the world. And they won a piece of that and the headlines everywhere. But it was. They started doing, like, you know, was I mentally ill? Was what would make, you know, horrible parents? Was I really the demon? I mean, just making up all kinds of things and, well, you get.

[Billy Corgan]

Sorry, but you're also getting death threats. Is that. Is that true?

[Linda Blair]

I don't talk about it.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay, we can skip that.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, yeah. No, I really won't.

[Billy Corgan]

But still, without talking about it, specifics still frighten a lot of frightening things for a young woman.

[Linda Blair]

It was. Well, the police were involved, the FBI was involved. My house was monitored by. That's how intense it got. Really? People.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. And let's not forget, a few years earlier, you're doing commercials in New York and some modeling and doing catalogs for, like, Sears. Right. I mean, this is. This is a long. This is a long leap from where you started.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. So Australia was good. And again, take me out to, you know, the conservation. And I could see, you know, koala bears and kangaroos and, like, wow. Because that innocence is still in me.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Then they send me to Japan, so my sister was with me, and we fly to Japan. God knows how many hours that took, because that is before I'm still on.

[Billy Corgan]

Flight with today's travel.

[Linda Blair]

And I've been writing about it in the book, and I think it's really interesting. The plane is brought into a hangar.

[Billy Corgan]

Ah.

[Linda Blair]

Where are we going? Because you kind of scared. You don't know where you are in the world. And we're looking out, we see all these people, and we're like, well, there must be somebody really important on the plane.

[Billy Corgan]

They're waiting for you.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, I didn't know. So everybody unloads, and then they're like, okay. And we come down and all of the Japanese dignitaries, the last one was the head of Warner Brothers, and they present you. Now, you're given no instructions. And back in those days was still manners and dress code. And you're in a foreign country now. So they hand me my first bouquet roses. My second, my second. So now when they're up to here, I'm not lying about this line. My sister's trying to indicate nobody spoke English. And they're trying to indicate, you know, can the flower take? So somebody. Finally, I get to Warner Brothers. This is my daughter. She speak English. Hi, I'm Amy. She's my age. Yeah, I'm Amy. Oh, thank you. So she was in. Not hired, but she was brought on as my interpreter because they have these huge, massive press tours around the world. We didn't have the social media. You know, we didn't have any of that. You had to sit down with groups and a young girl to look out over a sea full of people and to answer questions. And it was always, do you think there's a devil? What do you think? It was always religious and spiritual, and I could only reach from within and say I was raised Protestant. I don't know anything about the Catholic religion, but I don't believe the devil is real. Yeah, for me, it was like Frankenstein. It's just a weird new character.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm curious. Warner Brothers sends you on this tour. Do you think they were trying to protect you or protect their investment or what do you think their real motivation was?

[Linda Blair]

I know what it was. All the press backfired. It all backfired. And they realized that I was now the victim. They needed the world to see me. They needed to see that I was a normal child who's a good actor.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

And that was the intent.

[Billy Corgan]

So moving off the Exorcist now, it's a pretty intense experience for someone so young. And obviously you go on and do other things, but per your earlier thought, you weren't particularly interested in acting. So why did you persist in acting after that?

[Linda Blair]

Because of the machine. They put you on the machine. So Billy Friedkin gets you.

[Billy Corgan]

Had you signed. Had you signed a deal where you were kind of stuck in it, or.

[Linda Blair]

No, there's no. There was no. These were. This was.

[Billy Corgan]

What kept you doing it, though. I mean, you didn't throw yourself on the floor and said, never again.

[Linda Blair]

Because I was told to do.

[Billy Corgan]

Who's.

[Linda Blair]

Okay, so, Billy.

[Billy Corgan]

Who's telling you to keep going? Billy Friedkin, even though he's not your director in the Next thing, Billy Friedkin.

[Linda Blair]

And the movie is still getting all this press. You have to remember this thing, this beats.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, no. It went on forever.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, it did, and it still does.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm young enough to remember this going on at the time. Put it this way. It was the number one topic of school. Okay.

[Linda Blair]

There's so many things that are always new and interesting that I hear and learn how it affected people's lives. So now when I go on the road and do PR things, you know, for the animals, people be like. You know, I bring back memories. Their parents, their mother, where they were. It's an instant memory.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

And that's one of the few rare things to be in the world. Billy put us with William Morris.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

We did need protection, and we were going to have to have. He tried to explain to mom about PR that we needed continued protection and that it would be best to do more work in order to show the world who I really was.

[Billy Corgan]

And did you feel that or buy that or was that.

[Linda Blair]

I really couldn't answer that. I'm not gonna lie.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

I just know that I want it back to life. And that was not available to me.

[Billy Corgan]

Did you feel swept up in something bigger than you?

[Linda Blair]

And so remember that we've got all this controversy going on. Not. I think the Golden Globes were first. Before they were sending me on these tours. I really do, because of the timeline. They released the movie as a lovely December Christmas movie.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure. Holiday classics.

[Linda Blair]

To make the Academy Awards. And so they threw a big party for me for my birthday in January. And then this is.

[Billy Corgan]

You're 14 or 15 at this point.

[Linda Blair]

Now I'm turning 15.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. So 15 years old, you're the number one topic of conversation around the world. And they're throwing you a party.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

Gave you a horse.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. So Golden Globes nominated for a Golden Globe. And I am getting accolades from the Hollywood community standing behind, which was really good.

[Billy Corgan]

Did that influence you to want to continue?

[Linda Blair]

No, we're not there yet. We're just in it.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm just trying to understand.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, we're in it. You've made your best album, your nominee for the Grammys. Here you're in.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, yeah. It. I know the feeling. I'm just trying to understand your feeling in it.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. I don't know if there was any feeling. It was sweet. Told what to do.

[Billy Corgan]

Who was the person for you in that moment who had the most influence on you?

[Linda Blair]

Mom.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. And what was mom saying?

[Linda Blair]

We have to do this and that. And I mean, we. If you get nominated for the highest accolades in the business. There'd be some big parties, Billy. And so you go. And, but so Hollywood embraced me. They knew what was happening, thank God. And I am very grateful to them. And so they made that. Okay. You know, they made, you know, we love you. You did a dang good job. Good for you. Okay. And then you have to be at the next event. And the next event. It's different now. Back then where you were only three events. Now you've got this party, that party, this party, pre, pre, pre party. Post, post, post. There's none of that. There's no changing costumes.

[Billy Corgan]

Tell me. Because you were there. But, but my sense, because I've read a lot of books about old Hollywood and new Hollywood. It was a lot smaller in a way.

[Linda Blair]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[Billy Corgan]

Like you were in the club or you weren't. But if you were in the club, it was very insular.

[Linda Blair]

Does that I would.

[Billy Corgan]

That tracks with your. Absolutely.

[Linda Blair]

We are very private people. The industry is very private. Was.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, look at how they protected people in the closet. I mean. Correct. There's a lot that went on in old Hollywood that like, it was, like it was a company town. Right. Still is in many ways.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. So I think that's really good that you're bringing this up. And it's things that I keep wanting. Okay. Linda, you have to insert these things into the book for people to understand the way it was.

[Billy Corgan]

Yes.

[Linda Blair]

And what you just said is true. So Hollywood protected Hollywood.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And so when we talk about that somebody had different actresses on their arm, but it wasn't necessarily. They weren't really in a relationship we can now openly discuss. So they were gay and everybody protected everybody. And the studios, what they did is they made sure that there was a starlet on somebody's arm or that they were seen in this light. But years later, what I learned out in Malibu, there's one place out by me and that's as far as I know. I know there's a lot of stuff down in Hollywood. So that is where the studios had places for well known celebrity types, industry. They could go and party so they could play. You know, they're gambling, they're drinking, they're, you know, whatever, you know, game activities that they wish they had their affairs. So that was a place down in Malibu. I know for sure that was an hour by, you know, Model T Ford at the time. But there was that protection was built in. So they had places for everybody to go where the press wasn't allowed. Now they have. They hire Rona Barrett and was it Hedda Hopper?

[Billy Corgan]

I think Hedda Hopper, yeah.

[Linda Blair]

These people were basically given the stories. This is what we need you to do.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. We'll give you the access you'll get to be the person and we'll control the narrative through you.

[Linda Blair]

That is how. And that is how Hollywood is controlled.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And so for me, they had all of those things. And then. So the Golden Globes. I'm at the Golden Globes. I'm sitting at the table. Why would I think I'm going to win anything? I'm not there to win. I'm just there. You know what I mean? I'm just like mom and I are doing.

[Billy Corgan]

Wow, wow, wow. There's so and so.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. And trying to mind our manners. The Connecticut kids. Right. You know, like. And when they announce my name, it's something that when you hear people say they're having an out of body experience, you have an out of body experience, everything's gone. And I remember looking this way and I remember looking that way. And it's all surreal and, you know, and you're frozen and you're like. But I know I've got to get up there.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And I remember looking at Ellen and my mom. That's what I All I remember. And you know, getting up and this beautiful gown. My mother made all my gowns. She was a great seamstress. And I'm running and I gotta. I want a trip. And I'm going through tables. And you're going, oh, my God, there's stairs. And I get up and I turn around and I face. And it was a standing ovation.

[Billy Corgan]

Wow.

[Linda Blair]

It was really beautiful. And it really takes you. You don't know what to do when you're young. You don't know about a speech. Joel Gray was behind me. There's a famous picture of him and he's like. But truly, people don't know. You see the speeches and you hope that somebody's going to be able to give a good speech. But I'm telling you what is happening. There ain't not. You feel nothing and you hope by a spiritual gift that you are given the words to speak and to, you know, give. Give appreciation for those that have been on the journey with you. That's why you see people pull out, you know, and there are 50 people in the reading names because everybody wants to be thanked.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

It's gotten really out of control. But so there was that and then the Academy Awards and we're sitting there and a Lot of people are still upset, but they don't understand. I'm a kid. I'm cool with it. I'm good. If I'm good, everybody needs to be good with it. So Tatum, in my opinion, did give a great performance. Tatum o', Neill, Paper Moon. I wasn't thinking about it sitting there with Mom. And it was well known that there was no award to be given that year for special effects. Like, it was all over the headlines. And I don't know enough. And I'm saying to Mom, I mean, do they really think I can turn my head around? You know, like, I don't get it. So that was the year that the streaker. Oh, my goodness, the stage. And then they caught, you know, my expression. Everybody, you know, streaking was in freedom. And so Tatum o' Neill won. And I have nothing but love and accolades. And I'm not great friends with Tatum, but we are very. We're very friendly and kind when you all are in the young age and surviving. So we're all good. But from there, then. And I won the People's Choice Award.

[Billy Corgan]

Wow.

[Linda Blair]

That's still one of the ones that I honor. But all three, nobody can take those from you. For everything that you've been through in your life, your Grammys and everything we have given and done something and should be able to be allowed to embrace. I'm so involved in animal welfare and humanity, feeling like I'm supposed to do something. Why was I given such a platform? And I believe that. That everybody wants something for you. They want to understand that something that affected their life. I'm happy to talk and give, but you must also understand my side, that we must be more compassionate.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

So I believe that's a platform. It's a huge platform. Sure. And then it's like dog gone. It. Listen to me. I'm going to get you.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. It still confuses me, though. If you weren't particularly motivated to act that. And I know it wasn't the next film, per se, but you did this film, Born in, which is the shirt you're wearing.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm probably gonna botch the. The setup, but it's a runaway girl who ends up with a lesbian woman who abuses her. Is that. Is that accurate?

[Linda Blair]

Oh, you're so close.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm in the neighborhood.

[Linda Blair]

You're in the neighborhood.

[Billy Corgan]

But. But before I. Before you correct me, the film ends up. This film ends up being controversial, too. Is that true?

[Linda Blair]

So, okay, tell me pre Was. They put me in Airport 75. Airport 75. Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

Not as Controversial.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. So mom and I are on the honey wagon, as people may or may not be familiar. You know, it's a trailer, and then you have the different cubicles for the actors, and it's just a little room. Later you get your trailers. But I was still at. I was honeywagon level. And so anyway, mom and I would be sitting there, you know, and here goes Charlton Heston. Here goes, you know, Karen Black. Here goes Myrna Loy. Here goes George Kennedy. And mom and I are like this.

[Billy Corgan]

Gloria Swanson, too, right?

[Linda Blair]

What the hell's going on? Erik Estrada, my mom became very. He was a young actor, and mom would always talk about him and Eric. And, you know, whenever I see him, I do say. And he talked about. She then talked to me about the contracts. Why all these young actors, they needed the contracts, and contracts were starting to end. It was becoming independent. Why did all the actors and actresses. They had to go for the contract. Mr. DeMille, you know, Warner Brothers. You must give me this part. I must have this part, because that is my career and that is my life. Why they were all so dramatic because they needed these contracts. That was the only way that they could insure their living. So Eric is telling mom about. They're going to start ending the contracts. So we're talking about all of that anyway. Yes, we do. I sat with Gloria Swanson, and I'm sitting next to her and do, do, do. And I'm looking. She's got to make up what's called a train case, which is the. They used to take them on the trains. It's a Mick box she's going through. And she says, honey, if I can ever teach you, one thing is take care of your face, okay? And I didn't forget. And I always took care of my skin the best that I could. And then I had Helen Reddy singing as a nun. And I'm laying there like this, and I'm looking up and going, this is surreal. That's, you know, I am woman. Hear me rock. You know, Helen is a funny one to mimic and lovely person. And she's singing to me in a nun outfit. And I'm like, okay. There's something really, really weird about this whole thing. Anyway, so we went on. We had a meeting with Donald Rye for a movie called Born Innocent. Now, at this point, Billy, I am trying to get out, okay? I am trying to get out. I'm like, okay, I'm done. And this has all been really weird. Abusive and weird. And he is. I don't know if you're really ready for this because I think at this point I had. My sister was still with me, I think. Let's see, there was Sean Cassidy and my, you know. You know, there were all these Hollywood boys around, of course, and can't blame you. I hadn't met Rick yet. Rick Springfield, it was. Right. It was somewhere in that area. Yeah. Actually, I think I just met him because they were ripping me away to New Mexico and it's in that area. And that was very hard on me. But Donald said, I don't really know if you're ready. You don't seem very focused. And that maybe leads to what you're asking me.

[Billy Corgan]

Yes.

[Linda Blair]

Now, I wasn't focused because I wasn't in it. But you say, action. I'm not going to make a fool of myself. And that, I think is the difference, is that I knew that, okay, I have to. We're going to do this scene. We're learning this. Do, do, do. You get it all done. Get it all done. Do, do, do. And then you go on and you're like, okay. Billy had taught me to be in the moment. Billy had taught me how to bring up pain, fear. The visuals, what you needed. So in Born Innocent, it's about child abuse. It's about the father beating the hell out of her.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And so she runs, and then the brother is the only one that really knew where she was. But they catch her and take her to a girl's home. And the point of the story was to show that you go in and be. You're not incarcerated, but you go through these programs, you don't necessarily come out better. And she was abused yet again and raped in the girl's bathroom. That's what you're thinking of.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay, that's where I get confused.

[Linda Blair]

So now I'm laying on the floor lore in my pasties and little underwear with men all around and going through a scene with older girls. They were not juveniles. Very professional. And the crying scenes and the scene where I'm introduced, brought into the girl's home and they do the. The, you know, body check for any substances. So that movie blew Hollywood television open. It was number one, prime time. It freaked everyone out. It was extremely controversial. I. I didn't make that happen. I did my job. And then Sarah T. Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic with Dick Donner followed. Now I'm an alcoholic. So, yes, I was known as the most controversial teenager. Where was the truth? Where wasn't the truth? I did a good job at my work, so people just didn't know who I was.

[Billy Corgan]

I guess I'm asking almost from the adult perspective of thinking of one's careers, if you want to be an actor, These are not the best career choices because you're getting into this kind of, you know, if it was modern Hollywood, they would put you in something controversial and then they would put you in something sort of totally milquetoast and kind.

[Linda Blair]

Of, you know, I know what you're saying, Billy. I honestly, I think, you know, they put me with the two young and up and coming agents, One being Rick Nacita, who's very, very famous now. As he always said, you, career made my career. Their job was to get me to. In the highest, most notable content. There was very few things for teenagers.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure. But I mean, do you.

[Linda Blair]

How do you do.

[Billy Corgan]

I mean, because your future work in, let's call it, the entertainment field ends up being sort of defined by these things, you know, what they would oftentimes call typecasting, you know, but you're so young. It's like I just struck by the fact that on one hand, you really are not crazy about doing it it. And yet these adults are making the decisions that define your future as an adult.

[Linda Blair]

They don't care.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. That's kind of what I'm asking. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Their job was to find the money and put her to work. It's called the machine. That was how it was.

[Billy Corgan]

When did you, when in life did you kind of sort of figure out, like, wait, I'm kind of put into a corner here by the way, by these choices.

[Linda Blair]

I didn't want to do the Heretic for sure. And I kept saying no, I did Sweet Hostage with Martin Sheen and I tried to get them to hire Rick and they're like, well, you know, we'd like to go with this other young actor who'd just done Badlands with Sissy Spacek. And, you know, Rick was interested to dabble in acting and so on. Okay, so we go, you know, sorry.

[Billy Corgan]

To talk about Rick for a second, but. But Rick had a similar life path and like, certain things happen him that he wasn't like him being a soap star and you know what I mean? It's interesting that you guys connected during this time because he was.

[Linda Blair]

No, that happened after.

[Billy Corgan]

My point is not to connect it that way. I'm saying it's interesting that you both had similar life paths where the public or the business put things upon you that force you to make choices that are not optimal. Is that a fair thing to say?

[Linda Blair]

It was a hard time And I tell people all the time. The other thing was, if you did comedy, you were not allowed to do drama. If you did drama, you couldn't do comedy. What do you mean you can't do that?

[Billy Corgan]

Nobody would blink. But back then, yes, you were right.

[Linda Blair]

Bill Blatty, we became good friends later in life. He wrote the Exorcist, and he had written at least one of the Pink Panthers, so he's a comedy writer. And he told me the story where he said, I told my agent that I'm writing a drama. And they said, oh, Bill, you can't. What do you mean, I can't? Well, that's not your lane. Not your lane. And that is the part that a lot of people, they really tried to categorize you back then. You're known as a mobster, and you're going to be a mobster. You're known as a dame, and you're going to be a dame. You're a comedian. You're this.

[Billy Corgan]

Yes.

[Linda Blair]

So with that, Bill Blatty said, if. When they said, you can't, he says, watch me. So there's all these people that broke open the barrier just like you did. You got to break it open. Don't tell me I can't do that. Yeah, don't tell me I can't do that. So with that said.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah, okay, now you're working as a professional actor, right? You're. You're going project to project to project. And I know at some point you took a break and went equestrian stuff. So we're getting there in a second. But before we talk about that, I mean, I'm just surprised you didn't stop or. I'm still looking for the answer of why you kept going. If inwardly you had this sense of.

[Linda Blair]

Like, because you were told, your next job, job, your next job, your next job. I don't know. That's the way it was. You didn't walk away. They wouldn't let you walk away. I don't know the horses. So that, like you said, that was.

[Billy Corgan]

Did you walk away before or after Exorcist, too? I feel like it's in here somewhere.

[Linda Blair]

But none of the above. So when the Heretic came along, somebody tracked my dad down, and he came to me and mom, and he was not part of the career. My brother and sister didn't want to be part of it, so he thought it was a good script. So they kind of came at that angle, which is surprising. But later in life, he was like, work begets work, and you're going to work. My dad was. Military work begets work. You're going to work. So there's that side of me too, Billy.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And so read the script. And it was like, okay, now this. You know, I could do that. I can live with that. So now we've got John Borman, just won the Academy Award for Deliverance. We've got Richard Burton. Wait, what? Wait, what? Richard Burton? I was a huge Burton fan. Oh, God. Oh. And the life of me, as I just said in the big booming Welsh voice.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah, the guy can read the phone book. And it sounds interesting. Uh huh.

[Linda Blair]

And I was a big Clint Eastwood fan. Oh, golly. So with that said, we all have to. We're signed on and Louise Fletcher, and we're in rehearsal and. And they changed the script. And they changed the script. And they changed the script. Burton is, I mean, he got to a point where he's like. And I still was over Burton, if you can believe that. So he's looking at me going, uh, we had no say. We had no anything really. There was no control at all. So they changed the script five times. We get into filming, everybody hates everybody. I'm just doing my job. There's a documentary that just came out. It's Borman versus the Devil. And I do recommend people see it. And I'm in it, everybody's in it. That was still alive. And we're talking and they're like, you know, I showed up no matter what the adults were doing. I'm 17. I showed up because that was my job. And so Burton started drinking. Louise Fletcher hated John Foreman. They got some weird sickness. The set was shut down. And then we were in New York and it was a hot mess. And I was going through personal stuff with the boyfriends. Yeah, it was bad.

[Billy Corgan]

Teenager.

[Linda Blair]

It was bad.

[Billy Corgan]

But you were teenager.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, well, but they were big stories, you know, it was adult stories. So now we're 18 and 19. Work is starting to diminish. You've got Sylvester Stallone, you've got, you know, all the big, the macho films coming. And Golan Globus got very involved. That was a company, I think, and there was nothing. And women were starting to get really belittled, so there really wasn't any work. I believe I did Hell Night Roller Boogie. I did a movie in Canada called Wild Horse. Hank.

[Billy Corgan]

But this is after you came back from taking a year off, right?

[Linda Blair]

I don't believe I took a year off for any other reason than, ooh, yes, there was some bullet that went down and I'm not even gonna talk.

[Billy Corgan]

About it, but the story I read was you. You took time off to just become an equestrian person for a while.

[Linda Blair]

Oh, I was always trying to do that, but.

[Billy Corgan]

But you even went under an assumed name. Is that true?

[Linda Blair]

Oh, yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

What was the assumed name?

[Linda Blair]

I still use it.

[Billy Corgan]

It's out there.

[Linda Blair]

No, it's not.

[Billy Corgan]

You're not gonna give me the dope.

[Linda Blair]

No, that's okay.

[Billy Corgan]

So. But I. But okay, just indulge me in this way.

[Linda Blair]

Of course.

[Billy Corgan]

There you are. You love horses. You're. You got the cool outfit. What. What was your equestrian discipline? Or is. What is your equestrian discipline?

[Linda Blair]

Well, number one, the reason that I shared some pictures with you that I've never released before from showing. So I trained eventually for the Olympics. That's how highly trained. And I wanted to talk about it because I've tried to explain to people that. That I was a teenager. I was very famous. I was also in all the magazines for being a few pounds overweight. I was 125 pounds. That's normal for a young girl. But not for California, not for the industry, not for the tabloids. And that hurt. And you'll read Cherubic. Cherubic. Well, okay. I'm a girl and I'm fertile. I'm going to develop. We got the hormones and y' all are making me so crazy and so stressed. I'm going to eat my ice cream and pie and put the plates under my bed. So I was a stress eater.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. But you know what's so crazy is I remember reading articles about your weight as a kid.

[Linda Blair]

See what the hell I know nowadays, if you people nowadays. That's why it's important what they did to me in the press. Don't believe any of it. And shame on them. Shame, shame, shame on them for belittle. Belittling me. Your nose is too big. You need to lose a little bit here. They made you feel bad about yourself and you're a teenager and it's hard enough. So I know some of the conversation is also about at some point about depression. And so of course that is going to make me deal with depression. I don't know. I'm looking in the mirror. What do you mean? Why are you telling me I don't look right? Why are you saying this, this and this about me? Believe me, it didn't make me feel good. That's hard to do and keep going. I don't know how I did it, Billy. It was a gift that somehow. But the animal saved me. The animals, the Animals. So with horses. So, okay, now I'm 15 years old and, yeah, I'm working, but understand, I'm running. I'm going to be with my horses. I'm going to the barn. I'm smelling the dirt and the hay and the horses, and they have a smell that is so sweet. And their spirituality is so kind. And I've got my cats and I've got my dogs, and I've got the woods. I've got dance. I was raised to keep very normal. I didn't know life could be any different. Just like you didn't as a kid, but you knew it was wrong. Yeah, I know. I've read your story. It made me cry. And so we didn't know, but we knew it wasn't right. But we didn't know. So I'm riding the horses and. Yeah, sure, if I took time, it would have been because. Might as well just get it out there. It's always out there. I was arrested for drugs.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure. Cocaine.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. So my family, my brothers who became famous at the same time I met them all when I was doing airport 75 was the BAM. Lynyrd Skynyrd. Okay, Those are my brothers. So what I found is that I ran to music because they protected me. They let me be me. You see, there's another side to me, which is just. I was a young kid and happy and a person, and I love the music and it was fun. And you're backstage and it's like you get to, you know, it's certainly a.

[Billy Corgan]

Less judgmental atmosphere than, say, Hollywood.

[Linda Blair]

So they. They had to, you know, they convinced Mom. Mom is, you know, we'd like, can she come to our concert? It was first concert for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Anyway, they became my brothers, and I was always on the road with them, and they were my family. I did, you know, a lot of people know, you know, Aerosmith. They protected me. I could sit and watch the show and I was safe and nobody could bother me. I could be normal. And they weren't normal either. So we were all not normal together. And so when their plane crashed in the Florida, right in the Everglades, Artemis, the drummer, was able to get out, and he had to make it through, like, five miles in the swamps with.

[Billy Corgan]

No shoes on in the dark. That's a crazy story.

[Linda Blair]

And Dean was my, like, my best friend. He was their tour manager. And he and Ronnie, you know, died right away. Gary Rossington. And they were just badly, badly damaged. So I was working at the Heritage that's one of the things I told you. That was my family. That wasn't the boyfriend that I was with. But so my best friend, she died. She was out on the trails with her horse, and there was a hornet's nest, and he bucked her off, and she broke her neck on the stone wall. So mom and I had to go through that. And now Lynyrd Skynyrd. So I'm devastated. And I still have to perform. So I go to Florida, and there's, you know, one funeral after the other. One thing I don't. Because my family had many, you know, cousins die when I was young and ain't a party. That's how. How it was for us. It wasn't a celebration. It was sad. It was hard. So I was there and Lynn Scarborough, the senator's daughter, and I bring it up because she's the one that was arrested. She said, do you want to go and get some cocaine? And I said, no, no, no, no. I'm not partying. And she came back a couple times, and finally it was like, fine, I'll go with you.

[Billy Corgan]

You.

[Linda Blair]

Well, they raised dogs. Oh, dogs. It's dog people. Animal people are like, what? Animals? Dogs. We're wired different. So I go along. Nothing to do with nothing, but I make a deal to buy one of their puppies. Who is basenji? And so we go back to Connecticut, and I had a boyfriend, Teddy, and we. I had a security guy, Steve, and had no idea that the people in Florida, when they were calling, because, remember, we had house phones. Dial it up. Hello. They were talking pot. I have nothing to do with it. I'm not on the phone. I'm talking about a dog. When are you coming? When you coming? And so that's how things started. And the FBI had their phones tapped, so it was the drug dealers and Lynn Scarborough and maybe others. I don't know. That's how I was arrested for conspiracy to possess, conspiracy to distribute. I had no. Nothing to do with nothing. That is why I was so angry. But I had to fight for my life. Most controversial person. So when they just assumed. I remember when they arrested me, that was horrible. And they're like, why'd you do it? Do what? Do what? When I got in front of the judge, and this is the part people need to hear, it wasn't forgiving back then, and I didn't do anything. The judge said, you Hollywood people think that you are untouchable. And Johnny Carson made a joke last night about something about cocaine. And he said, you don't see the kids dying on the street. It's all you fucking needed to say to me. Sorry for my language. If he had said that, but he just tried to destroy my life and that's not cool. I will give openly and people. People know. If you know me when you don't know me, it's offensive. I have tried to always help. I am happy. I did so many talks on drug abuse and alcohol, depression, you name it. Because it's part of the human road. It's a path. And some people have more of the addiction than others and depression. And if you don't think that it doesn't exist in the music and acting and life, you'd be wrong.

[Billy Corgan]

It's everywhere but in your. This is a strange way to ask it, but, you know, in looking at your life story, of course I saw the references to you being arrested and I just thought I was that interested. So why did. Why do you want to talk about it? I'm just curious.

[Linda Blair]

Talk about what?

[Billy Corgan]

Getting arrested and cocaine?

[Linda Blair]

I don't. But.

[Billy Corgan]

But you brought it up.

[Linda Blair]

No, I bring it up because that's what I'm asking. I just want to understand about taking a year off.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. I. I just didn't understand.

[Linda Blair]

Let me destroy your life, Billy, and see what it feels like. So that.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, usually I'm the one destroying my life, so.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, no, but I'm just saying that is probably where.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay, okay.

[Linda Blair]

Because nobody knew if I was a drug addict, if I had problems. So now. But years later, if you drove your car into a tree. Oh, we got to help this person. No.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay, now I understand.

[Linda Blair]

I was attacked.

[Billy Corgan]

I just didn't know where you were coming from in all this because it's a lot. It's a lot to process.

[Linda Blair]

My life is so massive, it's ridiculous. Just like.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm going to repeat one question because I'm honestly curious. What. What was your equestrian discipline?

[Linda Blair]

Oh, so if I start really young, I used to, you know, run through the woods. You take your riding lessons. You do this and this. It's very disciplined. So I dance discipline. I always tell people, you know, get your kids into martial arts because it's discipline. I was a disciplined child.

[Billy Corgan]

I still need you to answer my question.

[Linda Blair]

I'm trying, Billy. So I'm athletic. You have to muscle. You have a lot of intensive training. The love of the horse and the animal, there's nothing like it. You can watch videos now where they put point of view cameras, what it's like to ride. People need to know what that feels like. But you don't just get out and ride. You have.

[Billy Corgan]

The balance is the same.

[Linda Blair]

We are very trained and we're moving one with the animal. And it's my need to learn the precision, the mathematics. We walk courses, we have to figure out how to work. Each horse is completely different. The stride length and this net. So it's a love, it's a sport, it's later I got you know into with jumpers hunters is very precise, precise, precise. Everything has to be just are you.

[Billy Corgan]

Doing competitive jumping or.

[Linda Blair]

And then I. The jumpers. But it took a long time because it used to be really good. Or you'll.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm a. I'm a novice in this world so I'm just trying to.

[Linda Blair]

So the jumpers are what you see in the Olympics.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

It is precision really just I'm not like a competitive driver. But it's precision. There's things going on except you have an animal on your feet.

[Billy Corgan]

You still do competitive equestrian?

[Linda Blair]

Yes, sir. I quit a long time ago for two reasons. A, I ran out of money in my 20s. Work was no longer there. It went to the macho and the big movies and the men and I was working a little.

[Billy Corgan]

But do you think it had anything to do with typecasting or your controversies?

[Linda Blair]

No, there was no work for women. Jodie Foster went to school in Canada and look at her, she's just. She's so, so smart. Melanie Griffith married Don Johnson, kids, young girls that were in acting were. Everybody's moving. There was nothing for us even look.

[Billy Corgan]

At Tatum's struggles when she entered into nothing.

[Linda Blair]

So everybody kind of went, well I'm going to go do this. And I was in the middle of going now what do I do?

[Billy Corgan]

I see, I see. Explain to me the connection and the through line with you and musicians. But let me read your list here and you amend it at will. Rick Springfield.

[Linda Blair]

Right?

[Billy Corgan]

Hold the thought. Glenn Hughes, Neil Giraldo, Tommy Shaw, Jim Dandy. A Black Oak Orchestra. Rick James.

[Linda Blair]

There's gotta be somebody else in there.

[Billy Corgan]

Billy, you tell me. You tell me why musicians? I don't need any gossip about the musicians. But.

[Linda Blair]

No, but think about what I said. There was my freedom and security and freedom and so.

[Billy Corgan]

But you know, musicians are a complicated.

[Linda Blair]

Life lot and so am I and so are people. We. If you're an artist, you're not normal. You're not normal.

[Billy Corgan]

You speak for yourself there, Linda Blair.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, that's right. Talk for yourself, lady. I think artistry, fresh to laugh, highly driven, fun artistry. Uniqueness.

[Billy Corgan]

Yes, I get it.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. Well, you are one. Need I describe? You know, you're just.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, you know, let me say this, please.

[Linda Blair]

So here I was, 15 years old.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

And my sister's bored. And I think we were just getting. That's the whole time around. Born Innocent.

[Billy Corgan]

And you moved to la.

[Linda Blair]

No, I didn't. Oh, no.

[Billy Corgan]

You never moved to la?

[Linda Blair]

Nope.

[Billy Corgan]

The Internet is wrong about you, you see.

[Linda Blair]

Yep. No, no, no, no, no. I always stayed home in Connecticut. Connecticut's my home. Not now. I mean, I'm out in California for the animals, but. No, no, no, no, no. So Debbie's bored. And let's see. She met Iggy Pop. I came home to that one day.

[Billy Corgan]

There's a future there. So.

[Linda Blair]

And. And. And. And others. There was a lot I told you about Sean. Sean Cassidy was a good friend. We were just young. So Debbie's bored, and you had a couple different venues on Sunset Strip. And one was the Whiskey A Go Go. And so let's say, oh, there's this one playing at this place, the Rainbow Room. And so we end up at the Whiskey Go Go. Some she goes, you know, Rick Springfield. And so Rick. I was on the COVID of Teen Beat, you know, all of the teen magazines, T Beat, Tiger Beat, all those. So it was Rick, me, Michael Gray, David Cassidy, maybe Sean Cassidy, Susan Day, myself. I really don't think any of the. Because I tell the world on the road nowadays, when they were like, I grew up with you. I said, you grew up with me because I was forced in your face by the teen magazine. There was only so many of us. Anyway, I was not attracted to Rick. Rick was not. I was. Wasn't attracted to anybody. I had a boyfriend at home, so to speak. You know what I mean? I mean, I was a girl, was young, walk in, and we're sitting there, and I didn't really want to be there. And his manager, they came in there like, do you want to meet Rick? I'm like, not really. He knows the story. And then I realized, I'm going to embarrass somebody here. Have your manners and say, of course. So we go upstairs. And it was just love at first. He was just standing there and dressed in that Tarzan outfit, which I didn't understand, but that face and that vibe, and we didn't know what to do with it. Watch the show, thinking, I don't know what the hell just happened. Go back upstairs. And he's like, you know, and people are watching us. And he's like, you know, can I Get your number. So it was kind of like that. We went on a lot of dates with my sister, and. It was that young first love. And we're tight. That's why we're tight till today. But get to the bottom of. He was being forced out of his contracts. He wanted to do this type of music, which, of course, you talked to him about, and they wanted him to do bubblegum rock. He didn't want to do that. And I would sit and watch him, you know, trying to find the different channels. And we're both dealing with difficult decisions, business world and trying to be. We're young in an adult world, and we couldn't let anybody see us because they. They. Because it was me and because it was him. He was. He was, you know, a teen idol, too, so.

[Billy Corgan]

That's right.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, that was really fun and hard. So we'd go home to Connecticut a lot. Mom loved him as a second son. On her deathbed, she always. Wish you'd married Rick. That broke my heart. We're very close. In a lot of ways, we are a story that we could not have lasted. Most. A lot of couples don't. Ours is because we're both in our separate lives, careers. I wouldn't have been career driven. I was kind of forced into it. He was driven to be what he wanted to be. And it was really, really hard. But we still supported each other, even though we were just being ripped apart without anybody. It wasn't in your face. It was just the careers and management. You have to go here and you have to do this, and you have to do this, and you just, you know, so. But that's why we care. Because spiritually, we still care. But it's not possible. It wasn't anything. And that's why, you know, years later, when we almost got back together, that's when Barbie came along. Barbara. And so it's all good.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. All right, let's get down to the good stuff now. Thank you for sharing. And you take this in whatever order you want, because I know these are issues that are very dear to your heart. Of course, you wrote this book, Going Vegan. I'm a vegan as well, and I, of course, it's not only connected to your love of animals and animal rights issues, and then you've taken out a very strong advocacy for animal rights. So however you want to dive in there, because it's obviously something that's.

[Linda Blair]

Well, something I'd like to say, Billy, is how in getting to know you better, when you became as popular on Your journey was when I was hit first with my mom getting diagnosed with cancer. When that happened, Billy, it really took me off course. And these are the things I know you work on talking about openly. We talk about depression and life and why we make choices. And you've asked me in this interview so many times, why did you make this choice? Sometimes it's not always in our control and sometimes it is and this is important that the world maybe dialogue better to understand why they've meetings or do this or that so people realize there are like minded and there is help. So for me, I knew darn well who you were. But unable to function because my job was how do I keep my mother alive? How do I. And on that journey, in 1979 I was doing the movie Wild Horse Hank in Canada. I've now shared with you that I was arrested for drugs. Yes. Neil Giraldo was my boyfriend. Not yet. He was my best friend and would have remained so, but I was hospitalized for an ulcerated intestine. Stress. Stress. I didn't drink. You party A little, but I mean I wasn't a drinker. I was stressed and scared. So. Cut. Two years later. That is something that has been a constant in my life is my intestine. You're fat. My intestines hurt. How do you doctors say? Well, you know, I don't really know what to tell you. I wasn't, thank God I didn't have any pill popping doctors that was sort of going by the wayside, you know, in our industry. But there was no information. Everybody would say we don't know. And that doctor said, I don't know how to help you. You have to figure out how to eat and you have to eliminate your stress or you will die. That was at 19.

[Billy Corgan]

Wow.

[Linda Blair]

So I tried to figure food out. Nobody was out except Jack lalanne.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

So that's where the vegetarian came in. Then you find out you're lactose intolerant. So that's how it goes.

[Billy Corgan]

Did you ever go to the Source family restaurant out here?

[Linda Blair]

The where?

[Billy Corgan]

The Source family restaurant.

[Linda Blair]

Oh gosh. That's a long time ago though. Wow. Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

But it was on Sunset. That was the first, first vegan restaurant in California and it was run by father Yod who was a spiritual guru type who had a rock band called Yehoah 13. So I wonder if he interacted with that world.

[Linda Blair]

Not really. Yeah, no, not really. I think I was off doing other things. But so that's how that started. Then I met up with, you know, farm Sanctuary, the farming of animals and did their thanksg. I worked with Christa Rose at Last Chance for Animals. My dog was stolen while I was doing a play out here at the Roxy Theater, which had done shows like Rocky Horror Picture show with Tim Curry. Big, huge. These were events that were happening. Now they're doing. Not Run for your wife. That was the play I did with Pat Paulson and Murray Langston up in San Francisco. When mom was diagnosed, I was out of my mind trying to find answers and so on. But I was doing a play at the Roxy Theater and somebody stole my dog, my Jack Russell, Sheba. I went all over the news begging for my dog back. I went as much as the Enquirer, I did anything. I never got her back. It's what changed my life forever. And that is why. So I started on pet theft awareness with Last Chance for Animals. They were stealing pets, selling them into medical research. Genetically doesn't cross over. We are still doing it. It's been brought to my attention the reason we had the Beagle Freedom project here in Los Angeles. There's another one in Detroit and another in Baltimore. And we must stop. There is no point to operating on beagles when it does not genetically cross over to humans in any way. Way. It is all about money and corruption and politics and needs to stop. So there was that. Then years later, and I'm like, I'm going to write this book. Like some writing. And somebody from Tippi, Hedren, Shambhala, the lions and tigers, she has her properties not too far from where I'm at with the dogs. And they said, do you need help with the book? I said, oh, yes, please. I don't know what I'm doing. They're like, oh, yeah, we know how to publish. And that's how this book came about. And as I was writing it, Billy, I've never cried so much in all my life. I never was so smack in my face. Wait a minute. This is where I know about acid rain. I know about chemical farming. I know all of this. And this is what's getting into our food, our water, causing children, cancer. Where all this comes from. That's my world. I'm a tree hugger. And then I saw how they, you know, are, are, are processing our food. And I said, oh, hell no. That's not who I am. It's not what I want to be. I'm sorry. The pain and suffering, not acceptable. That's why we're vegans. And if people just look online, read some articles for yourself and Understand, health to your family and health to you. So that was why and where that comes from.

[Billy Corgan]

From.

[Linda Blair]

And then as. As. As time has gone on, I, you know, I went back to work. I've done, you know, I did Repossessed with Leslie Nielsen. I really encourage people with. As serious as this interview, but knowing that I. If I pursued a career, Billy, it would have been comedy. Lucille Ball, my idol, that was my idol. And so I have that side in the mischief, and then I've got the other side, which is, you know, as an actor, you learn to be anything. The chameleons. But who are you really? So at least I know who I am. But I love to work and I love to play. And so I would have followed a Holly. A comedy career, but because it was starting to open up that you could do both and do everything, and I was starting to work, I decided I was gonna write, produce, direct. That's what I wanted to do. Billy Friedkin, you know, all these people remain in my life, and that's the path you're supposed to take. Ron Howard being the ultimate example. And so I wanted to put good in the world. You know, I was a Disney girl. I was Wild Kingdom and Bambi and Flipper and Gentleman. And so that's really who I was. So if I'm going to be in the business, maybe I meant to do something, put back something good.

[Billy Corgan]

So that's how you found the balance of the work, Your advocacy, happiness.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

Is that accurate? Does that. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. And I realized I could do something. And I realized, boy, this is a challenge. It's a whole lot harder than Hollywood's hard. This is harder.

[Billy Corgan]

Why is it harder?

[Linda Blair]

Because a lot of people aren't listening. A lot of people are very selfish. A lot of people just don't care and they don't see the abuse. So to go. Go ahead. No, please, to go back. Let's talk about you for a second.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

When everybody is very aware of your life and that you were very challenged as a teen, a child, and for that, I'm sorry.

[Billy Corgan]

Thank you.

[Linda Blair]

I acknowledge and I understand when I think of the connection you at some point found me, I was the most famous person. So when I meet people that say, you changed my life, you affected my life, that's a gift, Billy. That's a gift. If I've done something good through all the hardship, the challenges.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah, I get what you're saying.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. And so I was in your psyche. You knew me. I wasn't really doing anything wrong. And those most people Knew that.

[Billy Corgan]

Can I tell you something funny? As long as we're talking about it, as I said earlier in this nice chat we have had, I remember kids talking about you at school. And it was the typical stuff you'd expect in America in the 70s. You know, the girl stuff.

[Linda Blair]

Well, it was boy stuff.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, what's funny for me is we all have our own personal sort of story, right, of how things happen. And my family, on both sides is fairly gothic and is not sort of scared of talking about things that are sort of outside the mainstream American culture, particularly in the 1970s. So I had the experience on one hand of seeing what was happening to you from the outside. The way people spoke about you, caricatured you. And obviously, there's all the typical memes of you and the exorcist, the spinning head stuff, so there's that. My mother was committed when I was 4 to an insane asylum. So I dealt with madness. And as has been historically documented, there's a very thin line between possession and madness. In fact, some people wonder if historical possession was madness or the other way around. Certainly my mother talked openly when she was disabled about, you know, it's like forms of possession. And again, no one really is quite totally sure about what that actually looks like. Right. You know, I'm saying possession or madness or both.

[Linda Blair]

Correct.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. So. So I'd already experienced someone in the throes of possession. I'd witnessed it. I'd had my own supernatural experiences. And then here I'm watching people talk about you, you know, in a sort of outward way. You know, you're. You become the avatar of what's spooky.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

And. And there weren't many spooky movies back then like there are now. Now there's a zillion spooky movies.

[Linda Blair]

Yes. And. But.

[Billy Corgan]

Right. But back then, it was very novel, and it was a huge book and it was a huge movie. So it was at the center of American culture. And then on top of it, all right, it's like, I'm a young man. It's like, wow, she's really pretty. So it's like a weird mixture of memory, of thinking this person's attractive and interesting. You always struck me as interesting person as a person. And then it's all sort of mixed up in your mind, you know, the teen mind or the young person's mind. So when you're talking about, like, you know, you being somewhere in the ether of my. Of my life and my experience, it's kind of funny because my sense of you was always positive, no matter what anybody said. And the way I would say it, musician to musician, and I think you are a musician, is I thought you were cool. The bullshit of it all didn't mean as much to me as I thought you were cool above it. And I found this clip that I found, I found really interesting today and getting ready to talk to you. You're on what's my Line. I think you're 14 years old and at the end of the thing they ask you kind of the typical kind of stuff and you're being very much yourself, your natural personality. And at the end they say, is there anything you want to do? Or something like that. And you say, I would like to help animals.

[Linda Blair]

14 years old, you can document my life right there.

[Billy Corgan]

And I think, thought, I thought, how cool is it that even at that age you're like, now this is what I really care about.

[Linda Blair]

Isn't that it? Because that clip came to my attention recently too. And I said, you can document this. You know, nobody can know exactly. They weren't there when I was six and seven. Going to doctor to the animals. You can see it in every single interview. I've never strayed. Like, I have not changed. But one of the things I would like to do. May I just go for. For it? Okay. So to continue about that correlation between being brought to your. To your young mind and being one of the most famous people. I too like you. We get rebellious. My rebellion.

[Billy Corgan]

You're rebellious.

[Linda Blair]

According to. According to press, I was.

[Billy Corgan]

According to People magazine.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah. See what I mean? But I'm one of the first people that got the second hole in my ear. The third hole. Oh, my God. Anyway, I don't wear any Jordan anymore. That's because you, when you work with animals, you do not want to be ripped. You don't want anything ripped. I'm the real deal. I'm in it, working with animals. So what I wanted to say was that I realized that your life and my life connected with if you're born innocent, we were both born innocent. And I realized years later, wait a minute. The animals were born innocent. And so that is why I fight for them, for their rights. And I'm asking the world to join me and make this world more compassionate so it connects to my movie, it connects to all of us. So that is what I'm doing. I'm trying to collect a million followers. I have them, but I need them to go to my site, Linda Blair, worldheart. Linda Blair, wf That is where I post. I want to make the world better. And we need the politicians and everyone to know this is serious.

[Billy Corgan]

Do you feel compelled because you feel that. Are you speaking for the voiceless or like, what is the through line for you?

[Linda Blair]

Well, I wanted to be the doctor. I wanted to be a veterinarian. And I could never get the time to go back to school. And that really upset me. So I realized that with animal welfare, Billy, I can work and save a whole lot more animals around the world.

[Billy Corgan]

I see.

[Linda Blair]

And I'm very, very connected. I'm holistic, body, soul, and my veterinarian care until you. Where you need to have and how we're going to tie this in. I have a little bitty surprise.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay.

[Linda Blair]

And then I'm going to tell you something that is really important that I need the public to know.

[Billy Corgan]

Sure.

[Linda Blair]

So I'm going to ask. Oh, wait. Do I hear bells? Do I hear something coming on to the set?

[Billy Corgan]

Goodness gracious. Oh, Santa Claus, come stand here so we can see you. I can't expect to see Sally Field.

[Linda Blair]

And Joe Rogan today.

[Billy Corgan]

Wait a minute.

[Linda Blair]

Santa Claus.

[Billy Corgan]

Christopher.

[Linda Blair]

Santa Claus.

[Billy Corgan]

Hold on, hold on.

[Linda Blair]

I got the puppy for. For you.

[Billy Corgan]

But.

[Linda Blair]

But I realized because I'm 1700 years old, you know. Oh, long lady, could you hold your puppy? Oh, yes. Oh, Santa Claus, you need your glasses. That's very, very true.

[Billy Corgan]

Very, very true, Sally Field. You got to watch your microphone, little Linda Blair.

[Linda Blair]

So sorry, young lady. Oh, goodness. Billy. Billy Corgan.

[Billy Corgan]

Billy.

[Linda Blair]

Billy Corgan.

[Billy Corgan]

I am so sorry.

[Linda Blair]

I need my glasses.

[Billy Corgan]

You see.

[Linda Blair]

Oh, yes, you do. Santa Glass, I brought you a picture. Yes, but where did we get this puppy? Santa Claus, shall I take over from here? How you help me? You take the puppy and you tell a story. Billy, this puppy I just pulled from the desert. This dog was dumped in the desert and we just pulled 50 dogs out of the desert on Saturday. This is what's happening.

[Billy Corgan]

Are people just dumping dogs in the desert?

[Linda Blair]

So this little baby I wanted everybody to see was left to fend for with his siblings. Along with Chihuahuas, we got shepherd mom and newborn puppies. No idea. I know they're dumping. We got trappers out there. This is all over California. But this is. I wanted people to understand when we talk about desert and dumping. Now we've bathed this little sweetheart and just so you know, guess its name. Billy.

[Billy Corgan]

We're announcing to the world today.

[Linda Blair]

What's name is it? Billy. Did we name it Billy after Billy?

[Billy Corgan]

Billy. Billy Friedkin or. Watch your mic here, just so you know. There you go.

[Linda Blair]

Do you like puppies.

[Billy Corgan]

I do like puppies, but don't give me a dog, please.

[Linda Blair]

You're not being given your dog. Will you hold the puppy?

[Billy Corgan]

Sure. Yeah.

[Linda Blair]

Okay.

[Billy Corgan]

If the dog is okay with it. Come here. Come here, precious. Come here. I got you.

[Linda Blair]

You got to put your hands on it to understand.

[Billy Corgan]

Gorgon Four legged Vehicle.

[Linda Blair]

I am naming this puppy after you.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, God bless you. At home, you know, we work with PAWS Chicago.

[Linda Blair]

I know you do.

[Billy Corgan]

Which is a no kill shelter for people that don't know. Incredible, incredible organization. And so we have one rescue dog that was from a puppy mill situation, a French bulldog, Colette. And then we have three rescue kitties, Angel Face, Diamond Baby, and Gold. Goldie. So our home is blessed with rescue animals. And I can't with you. Let me finish because I want to say something because we're talking about things that are close to our heart. There's no greater thing you can do in this world to find love and affection than to save a rescue animal. I think it's one of the highest callings that we have. Obviously, you have to take care of our human family, of course, course. But the blessings in our life from, from bringing rescue animals in our home, it's just, it's. It's magical. And, you know, I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but I want to share that with you.

[Linda Blair]

So I have one of the largest rescues. What happened was I was out here working for Fox Family Channel doing Scariest places on earth, which everybody loved. Number one show. I am back. You're asking where the heck do I, you know, I'm doing this, and any actor and musician, entertainer does. So I'm doing FOX Family Channel now. I'm going to do a dramatic comedy. I told you I was going to produce and I had scripts around town and I was going to do a drama comedy, and then suddenly they sold overnight. With that said, the next thing I know, I'm up in Sacramento fighting the breed ban. What is a breed ban? They were going to ban pit bulls, German shepherds, rottweilers. The list went on. I fought that, Billy. I won. I couldn't stop.

[Billy Corgan]

For those who know because obviously it's a somewhat controversial subject. Like, what is your argument for not banning breeds?

[Linda Blair]

Billy, I need to go further than this for a second because Santa Claus brought. Oh, hello, Santa.

[Billy Corgan]

Does Santa have a kitty in his back pocket?

[Linda Blair]

No. So after I did that, Hurricane Katrina happened and I was brought in to rescue the remaining animals. It changed my life forever and gave me a really bad form of ptsd. It was bad. I couldn't do have anything to do with Louisiana for a long time. So I come to California, I hand drive. I could buy an old motorhome. I'm driving the dogs out of there and I get it back to California. I realize I need to buy a property. That's what I'm doing up in the mountains. But in recent years, as hard as I work. So at 8, about 18 years into it, two years ago, I don't feel well. I do a show called Masked Singer. So they came to me and I said, I can't sing anymore. And they said, oh, no, no, we'll take care of you. So Dr. Nassari, he says, linda, you're allergic to the desert. You have a fungal infection and you have polyp. I can't do anything. You gotta go. So I've been looking to move for my health for a very long time. And that is the intention. But along with it, Billy, I started feeling really bad, bad and getting sicker and sicker. And my doctors oh, you have the flu. Oh, you have the flu. Oh, you have the flu. I go to UCLA and they did 28 tests, couldn't define. They knew it was autoimmune. So cut to what happened. I ended up in the hospital March 28, 2023. People have wondered, where did I go? My thyroid was overdosed through medicine. Nobody listened to me and I went through what is called a thyroid storm, which nearly kills you. I had pneumonia and was sepsis, as you know, that will kill you. And in one minute to wrap up, to be challenged with a life threatening situation. There are many actresses that are coming out now and saying that they have Graves disease. I have Graves disease and it attacks your immune system. I have lost my hair. I'm growing it back, lost everything. I went down to 91 pounds. The challenge to recover and I'm still in it, is extreme. I have many things I have to fight for every day, but to fight for their lives. On top of it all this has been. I can't stop who I am, Billy. I can't. And so to pull a little baby like this out of the desert, no food, no water, no nothing. His siblings are in the hospital right now because they found some detergent. I'm not allowed to mention the name. I cannot mention the doctor that caused this situation to happen. But I want to be very clear that you don't get to just not pay attention to us in this world. There's so many people not receiving the medical care they need an autoimmune. Many people have, and there's not enough information on it.

[Billy Corgan]

True.

[Linda Blair]

And I am. I. I'm in it. And I need all the support I can get to help our friends and to make the world a better place. And it's all through Linda Blair world Heart Foundation. Lindablairworldheart.org let's just stop human and animal abuse and make the world a better place.

[Billy Corgan]

So am I getting the message that you're talking about something very personal and private? But part of your reason for, or maybe most of your reason for doing this because you want people to pay attention to this, is that my following you?

[Linda Blair]

I have not been able to be in public. You're the first time that I'm talking about this. But I trusted you.

[Billy Corgan]

Thank you.

[Linda Blair]

And all of our friends to understand.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, we're in the right place. See?

[Linda Blair]

And that was really hard, Billy. Recovery is really, really hard. I'm lucky I don't have an addiction. I'm not dealing with alcohol.

[Billy Corgan]

Oh, you have an addiction. It's called puppy love.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

I made Santa laugh. I made Santa laugh. Santa, we're hitting a hard break here. We gotta get out of here. Let me take the puppy. Oh, I hate to give him up.

[Linda Blair]

Little Billy. Give me the puppy.

[Billy Corgan]

There you go. What a sweet doggy.

[Linda Blair]

But I wanted people to see.

[Billy Corgan]

Come on, little Billy.

[Linda Blair]

This is what they need. Our help.

[Billy Corgan]

I'm with you 100.

[Linda Blair]

I know you are. I know you are.

[Billy Corgan]

So step away now, little Billy. Oh, Santa, stay. Because we're wrapping it up here. Santa. Billy, I know you used to being in charge. Santa.

[Linda Blair]

But Billy will be up for adoption as soon he's cleared on his health check and his siblings. And we have shepherds and all kinds, but that is what I needed. Everybody, this holiday season, please, we need your help. Give to your local charity, Rescue Volunteer. I promise your person if you're going through something, an angel will be there. They will help give you the guidance. And it's like the friendship that we have to give to the world and make it just a little better place through our truth.

[Billy Corgan]

Yeah. I'll end here. For our brothers and sisters listening. Consider adopting a rescue pet. Oh, please make the world a better place.

[Linda Blair]

Yes. Volunteer foster anything. After the holidays, help us to get Si Paw.

[Billy Corgan]

Chicago is all volunteer. Yeah, all volunteer.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah, some are.

[Billy Corgan]

And they just opened recently. They just opened a. A farm for the bigger dogs because they can't get adopted out of the city. So now they've created a suburb urban rescue center for the bigger dogs.

[Linda Blair]

And this is what we need is to all of us to keep expanding and rescue. It shouldn't have to be happening, but God bless and please, we're counting on you all to help all of us to help them. We can do this together.

[Billy Corgan]

Well, we don't. Well, actually, this is going to air really soon, right? So.

[Linda Blair]

Yeah.

[Billy Corgan]

So Merry Christmas to everybody. And you too.

[Linda Blair]

It is, but we are non denominational, so it is. Happy holidays to all.

[Billy Corgan]

Be well, that was very la what you just did. You switched it from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays.

[Linda Blair]

No, that's the world right now, Billy. I'm just joking, Billy. The world is a little difficult. Right.

[Billy Corgan]

Okay. Thank you, Linda. Thank you, Sam. You're welcome, little Billy.