Linda Blair Found Her 'Life's Calling' After “The Exorcist” — Helping Rescue Animals Thrive (Exclusive)

The actress founded The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals

Linda Blair is opening up about what led to her years-long animal volunteer work.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the actress and activist, 64, speaks candidly about how a "midlife crisis" that occurred after her breakout role in 1973's The Exorcist led to what she describes as her "life's calling."

"In my 20s, I said, 'I really am struggling.' It was like, for some, a midlife crisis," Blair explains. "But, for me, it was my life's calling, saying, 'What about me? The animals need help.' "

"So that's where I really started buckling down ... and I was giving my time and money," she continues.

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Blair stepped into worldwide prominence with her role in The Exorcist, in which she played Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl, who is possessed by an ancient demon.

Before being cast, however, Blair had dreams of one day being a veterinarian, and says she took on small modeling and commercials roles in an effort to fund her future goal.

"It wasn't Hollywood," she explains. "That wasn't what we signed up for. We weren't looking for that, we were looking for funding for me to pursue my dream, which was to go to Cornell [University]."

Eventually, auditions for The Exorcist came around, and after a long process — which Blair says included "makeup tests" and "psychological tests" — she was cast in the role, which garnered her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe win.

Blair says that she still had a normal childhood amid filming the horror film, and details that she made sure to keep her love of animals in her heart through it all.

"They made sure on the weekends I went out," she explains. "I got to ride my horses [and] I had raised a rooster in an incubator on the set for my science project."

But, once The Exorcist was released and became a smash hit, Blair says, "It changed the direction of what I wanted."

"So I worked and I worked," she adds. "I'm proud, now, of all these movies ... and I know they changed a lot of lives, so for that, I am very grateful."

Still, Blair's love of animals remained at the forefront of her mind — and her heart — and she knew there was something she needed to do with her platform.

So in 2003, she launched The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected and abandoned animals, which also provides them with proper nutrition, veterinary care, comfortable facilities, training, socializing and, per its website, an "abundance of love."

Looking back, Blair says her late mother, Elinore Blair, inspired her to love animals since she was a young girl. "She really created who I am, and she loved life," she says.

"And she was one of the kindest people I know and just always said, 'Hang with like-minded people, and do volunteering. You're going to meet people that are going to change your life, it just is the way it is,' " Blair adds.

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Now, even with her foundation thriving, Blair tells PEOPLE there is still work to do to ensure that the dogs rescued are living their best lives before moving on to their "fur-ever" homes.

"I think a lot of people in animal welfare need to get more involved so that we can make the changes that are necessary," she explains. "But that requires funding. We get nothing from the state, nothing from the government. There is no financial aid for the rescue community. Shelters can keep applying for state funding, but not the rescue groups."

"That's why I've been saying, help in your area, volunteer, foster and adopt. Ask what can you do," Blair continues. "You can do a bake sale and bring that money, or you could provide food and blankets as you're cleaning out your closet."

Adds the star: "And when it all comes down to voting [in] any of these elections, make sure you know who you're really voting for, because that is who dictates what you get in your life and the love that we can have on this planet."

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