Exclusive: Bruce Campbell explains to us how he’s kept his career fresh after all these years.
Its delicate stuff, and the earliest batch of dailies have just come in.
So it of course has to be right now that the obvious potential problem hits him like a thunderbolt.
Ah shit, my leading guy is 66 years old, Campbell grumbles to himself.
As soon as the words leave his mouth, he likewise fails to suppress the smile.
After all, Campbellishis leading guy.
I had to reconcile that, Campbell muses, thankfully its a story for a 66-year-old.
Its not me with boot black in my hair trying to bed some 30-year-oldlovely.
Its nice to play an age appropriate role.
In other words, its a very different Bruce Campbell than audiences might be used to.
Campbell says with total sincerity.
Why dont youclick,click,clickyour way to a good part?
I wrote myself a big fatass part, like starring from A to Z.
And you dont get that.
Ive been in Hallmark movies, right?
Campbell says while referring to pictures likeOne December Night.
Its nice, you do your weepy little scene with Peter Gallagher.
Its all very lovely and wonderful, but its not the meat I occasionally want.
Campbell is excited about a lot these days.
Take, for example, the project he is in San Diego to promote.
But the appeal of PeacocksHysteria!for Campbell is how unlike it is from anything hes done before.
I ask a lot of questions when its horror these days, Campbell explains.
And Im hesitant to even read something if its horror.
But they go read it, so I read it, and the words are what attracted me.
I thought the writing was exceptionally good, like surprisingly good.
InHysteria!, Campbell plays the chief of police in a small Michigan town: Chief Dandridge.
Which makes him such a fresh part in a larger ensemble about the 1980s Satanic Panic.
Says Campbell, Ash vs Evil Deadis unrated television.
This is R-rated television.
Theres a heavy metal band in town.
Are they linked to these strange happenings in town?
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Again acknowledging his real-life Michiganian roots, Campbell likens himself to a factory worker in a Detroit auto plant.
Back in the day, theyd cycle you through various divisions of building a car.
It keeps you from going insane, Campbell acknowledges.
For me, I think it was the same principle.
Lets try and do something over here.
Okay, lets go back and make another horror movie.
Ah sure, [comic] conventions are going crazy?
Whats up with that?
To me, half of its out of curiosity.
Lets make a Hallmark movie, havent done one of those.
Lets make a movie in France, havent done one of those.
I cant wait to go to these secondary cons, because theyre doing very well too, says Campbell.
But it just shows you people like physical interaction.
They might see [William] Shatner from a football field away, but doggonit, thats Shatner!
I dont go to these conventions to meet fans.
I started out doingKnots Landing, Campbell recalls of a primetime soap he briefly appeared on in 1987.
That was my first TV job.
You had three shadows on everyones face.
And [the star] would look at the cameraman, Benny, and go, Benny, good?
Not the director, not the producer.
And Benny would go, Yep, looks good.
And the AD, without checking with anyone else, would go, Moving on.
And as an actor Id go, Oh, my God, is that it?
Because they were all out the door.
That was my start in television, I didnt do TV for five years after that.
I had just doneEvil Dead IIwhere Sam Raimi would do 15, 20 takes.
Youre sweating your ass off.
Nowadays, however, Campbell says almost everything he watches is television with cinematic quality.
Movies are just guys in capes, guys in spandex.
All the other stuff is on TV.
I would say youre a lucky son of a bitch, Campbell says of someone starting today.
you’ve got the option to get on television in an hour.
Get your own YouTube channel.
All that TikTok crap.
I mean, we didnt have any of that shit.
We had Super 8.
It was difficult, awkward, and strange.
Your friends at parties in high school.
Thats who youre going to show em to.
I say to the guy in Butt-Crack, Kansas, dont leave.
Make a cool movie in Butt-Crack, Kansas.
I mean who cares?
Put yourself in Butt-Crack.
Get off your butt-crack.
Like Bruce, get ready toclick, click, click.
will be coming to Peacock eventually.
