Ellen Burstyn’s Career Changed After a Realization on a Hollywood Set

Ellen Burstyn says a moment on the set of the 1964 film Goodbye Charlie changed the direction of her career.

At the time, Burstyn—then using the stage name Ellen McRae—was building a successful Hollywood career with TV appearances on shows like Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, and Dr. Kildare. Goodbye Charlie was her first major film, featuring stars Debbie Reynolds, Tony Curtis, and Walter Matthau.

While filming, Burstyn realized she did not want the type of career she was pursuing. She recalled thinking that one day she might have Debbie Reynolds’ leading role, but an inner voice immediately responded, “I don’t want it.”

She left Hollywood, returned to New York, and joined Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio to study acting. Burstyn said Strasberg taught her to be fully present in a scene and explained that method acting is about training the senses to respond to imaginary situations, not becoming the character.

Her decision paid off. In the 1970s, Burstyn became one of the leading actresses of the New Hollywood era, starring in acclaimed films including The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and praised director Martin Scorsese’s collaborative rehearsal process.

Now 93, Burstyn continues to work in film and television. Her recent projects include The Exorcist: Believer (2023), The First Lady (2022), and the upcoming film Place to Be with Taika Waititi.