The Masked Singer has had some truly surprising contestants of late, from a former Star Trek captain, to wrestling superstar Chris Jericho. Recently, a horror movie icon joined their ranks, revealing herself early on as a means of raising awareness for rescuing animals.
Linda Blair, who played Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist, joined the reality TV series as the Scarecrow. Her cover of ‘Abracadabra’ by the Steve Miller Band dazzled the judges and audience, but before speculation could run too rampant about her identity, she took off her mask.
This was a calculated move by Blair, who wasn’t on the celebrity comedy series to win anything, but rather to make people aware of the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation Rescue and Wellness Center, and the need for people to choose rescues as pets. “When I chose to unmask, I had to explain that I wanted the other people to compete properly because this was their livelihood,” she tells Entertainment Weekly. “And for me, my plea was strictly on behalf of the animals and to thank everyone at Fox for the wonderful show.”
The monster movie star states she loves The Masked Singer, and found the process only slightly nerve-wracking. “It was probably one of the hardest things because I had not run around on a stage nor had I sang since 1997 when I did Grease on Broadway,” she states. “So I did do a lot of vocal work. We had such a short time. So it was quite a challenge for me, and it was scary and hard.”
Although she had fun, her motivations are unequivocal: “I am so excited for people to see. I did this for the public. I did this for the animals.” Founded in 2006, the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation Rescue and Wellness Center takes in and supports animals that have become unwanted. Blair states there’s currently a crisis of homeless pets that the centre is struggling to keep up with, leading to her using this opportunity to raise awareness.
You can find out more about the foundation through the official website.