who did the voice of regan in the exorcist
Mercedes McCambridge McCambridge provided the dubbed voice of Pazuzu, the demon possessing the young girl Regan (acted by Linda Blair) in The Exorcist. To sound as disturbing as possible, McCambridge insisted on swallowing raw eggs, chain smoking and drinking whiskey to make her voice harsh and her performance aggressive. Director William Friedkin also arranged for her to be bound to a chair during recordings, so that the demon seemed to be struggling against its restraints. According to Friedkin, she initially requested no credit for the film â€” fearing it would take away from the attention of Blair's performance - but later complained about her absence of credit during the film's premiere.[12] Her dispute with Friedkin and the Warner Bros. brass over her exclusion ended when, with the help of the Screen Actors Guild, she was properly credited for her vocal work in the film.[5]