“Very strange” – The Hollywood Reporter

Ellen Burstyn

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Ellen Burstyn is busier than ever, and she thinks about why.

In a recent conversation with her Law and Order: Organized Crime Co-starring Christopher Meloni interview In the magazine, the 90-year-old actress said she finds it “so weird” how many roles she’s gotten over the past few years.

“I’ll be 91 in December, and I’m busier than I can remember at any time in my career,” she joked. “And I just don’t understand. What the hell is ageism in Hollywood? Why was I left out of it?”

When Meloni asked why she thought her acting career was booming so much, Burstyn replied: Play her great-grandmother or something. ”

The entertainment industry is nothing new to the Oscar-winning actress, who started her career in the late 1950s. She has appeared in over 100 projects, including the 1973 original. exorcist The film marks her return to the hit horror series after 50 years. Exorcist: Believer.

Regarding the length and success of his career, Burstyn said he knows that “my guiding principle is to be authentic, not fake.”

“My criteria in every moment of a scene is, ‘Is this real to me?'” mother sofa the actress explained. “I mean, that’s my training. That’s what I want. If I feel fake, it’s like eating rotten food or something, it’s just weird. So I protect myself from feeling those emotions by being as open as possible.”

In an interview last year, hollywood reporterthe stage and screen legend opened up about why she ultimately agreed to return. exorcist Sequel.

“What happened was I turned down many versions of the work.” exorcist 2. I’ve said no every time,” Burstyn said. “This time they offered me a lot of money, but I still said no. Then they surprised me and came back and said, ‘We’ve doubled your offer.’ Ta. I said, “Okay, let me think about it.” “That’s a lot of money,” I thought. Let me think about it. ‘”

She continued, “The next thought that came to my mind was, ‘I feel like the devil wants me to pay.'” And the next thought that came to mind was, “My The compensation was a scholarship program for talented students in Pace University’s master’s degree program. That’s my price. ’ So I went back and raised their prices and was finally able to get what I wanted. There is also a scholarship program for young actors. ”

Exorcist: Believer It will be released in theaters on October 6th.