Perhaps best known for his role as Ash in the cult 'Evil Dead' trilogy Bruce Campbell has established himself in the film industry as a tremendous leading actor. High school pals with director Sam Raimi, Bruce soon became involved in low budget filmmaking in the late 70s. From here he has gone on to star in a mass of cult hits. Not only in horror but also working in great movies such as 'The Hudsucker Proxy' with other pal directors Joel and Ethan Coen. Interview conducted before the release and success of comedy horror 'Bubba HoTep' (2002).
Having starred in a number of horror movies over the past years which film(s) in particular did you most enjoy working on?
Horror films are okay (I like Evil Dead II), but check out the film Running Time. It's a cool little indie directed by Josh Becker: **Becker Films: Directing From The Edge**
And whom have you most enjoyed working with?
I enjoy working with Sam Raimi, Josh Becker, John Cameron, Scott Spiegel - all the filmmaking guys I grew up with, mainly.
In the past you have worked on a few movies that involved the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan), what was it like working with such accomplished writers and director?
Joel Coen wasn't so accomplished when he was assistant editor of Evil Dead. =) It was fun to work with them, but I've done it on and off for years, so it's not like I get nervous...
The Horror Asylum is predominantly a UK based website. Have you ever worked over here in the UK or ever contemplated working here on a particular movie, etc?
I have worked in South Africa, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, etc., but I've never had the pleasure to work in Mother England other than a convention a few years back. I'm sure the time will come.
The Evil Dead trilogy are hugely popular movies here in the UK and of course all over the world. But there has always been one burning question that everyone keeps asking. Is Evil Dead II a sequel or remake?
Well...it's like this: When it came time to do ED2 (7 years later), we couldn't get the rights to the original footage from ED1 (to do re-cap stuff), and the original actors had all gone off to do other things. So, in our infinite wisdom, we decided to "lie" about how Ash got to the cabin and who he was with (i.e. just Linda).
This, indeed, confused a lot of people and caused them to think Ash was dumb enough to return to the cabin with another girlfriend (as well as fuel the useless debate that ED2 was really a "remake" and not a "sequel" - zzzzzzzz). Granted, Ash IS dumb enough to return to the cabin, but that was not our original intent.
When AOD rolled along (5 years after ED2), we felt that the re-cap could again be "diddled" with, especially since Universal Studios wanted the film to "stand on its own," without any relation to the other sequels - hence the different title (as opposed to ED3). This time around, Bridget Fonda expressed an interest in playing a small role in the film, so what are we gonna say - "No?".
So, she became Linda and the audience (the ones who had been following along) became confused all over again. That's all there is, there ain't no more!
Groovy Baby!
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Ash Williams is one of your more famous characters, but are we ever likely to see Ash on screen again?
Honestly, I don't know.
What was it like working on the other side of the camera for two of your recent movie directional debuts, Fanalysis?
Fanalysis was fun to make, but documentaries tend to take on a life of their own. I actually started directing TV back in 1994 on Hercules and Xena and did a couple VIP episodes as well. I enjoy directing because it pulls from another side of your brain.
As an actor are their any person or persons that have influenced you or whom you have a lot of respect for in the industry?
Yeah, William Holden and Steve McQueen - those guys rocked my world.
Are there any particular experience or career moves that you have regretted in your career?
Not a single one - never look back.
And finally Bruce, what new and upcoming work can we expect to see you in?
I've got three new films coming out (and a book: Amazon.com: buying info: If Chins Could Kill : Confessions of A B Movie Actor) - Spiderman, Serving Sara and Bubba Ho-Tep - be sure to check it all out here:
WWW.BRUCE-CAMPBELL.COM
"Thanks for taking part in this interview Bruce, and good luck in the future!"
Visit the official "Bruce Campbell" website: http://www.bruce-campbell.com/
