Jack of All Trades - Master of the Chin
An Interview with Bruce Campbell
By Sabrina Peyton
Actors have from time to time tried to branch out from just acting. A lot of times this ends up with an actor in the director’s chair or, worse yet, with a brand new album. It would be a rare thing indeed if an actor tried to pursue other parts of the entertainment industry and was successful in just about everything they touched. Bruce Campbell, however, is a jack of all trades, whether it is in writing, directing, comic books, or concocting fake blood; this man can do it.
What inspires you as a child can change over time so what inspired Bruce as a child and onto adulthood? “I liked vintage Bob Hope, when he was really sharp and Danny Kaye - Iike most of the old school actors because they were really polished in their trade. My tastes haven’t really evolved since, because I see a lot of slacker-like acting these days.”
In his own words he describes himself as “As an Oregonian, an actor by trade, with a few side hobbies.” Those who know who he is are probably looking opened mouth right now at the “few side hobbies” comment. Bruce dabbles in more than just a few side hobbies.
Bruce has a few hobbies and it makes one wonder if he has ADD or maybe just trying to keep interested.”Mainly, I find new things to do because the entertainment industry is morphing all the time. I’m just trying to stay afloat the technological changes more than anything. Aside from that, I like the big umbrella of entertainment and there are many fun things to do within it.” So as long as the entertainment business keeps changing Bruce looks to keep finding something to do with his time. Not that any of his fans will complain.
With a new book out as of June 1st Make Love!* *the Bruce Campbell Way following on from his autobiography If Chins Could Kill.” The inspiration for this new book was, “I looked in my bank account and said “holy shit - I gotta earn some cash!” Aside from that, readers can take heart that there is absolutely no love advice to be found in the book.” Though there may not be any direct love advice in this book there is however good solid advice on how not to go about researching an acting job, how to live through a duel and other good advice.”
Make Love is Bruce’s second book, and although he did offer to do another autobiography this one is a bit different from If Chins Could Kill. The book flap notes state that “everything in this book happened, except those that didn’t”. Which leaves the reader to wonder if Bruce did get knocked down by the secret service almost 3 times or if he did have dinner with Elisabeth Taylor, and of course if the have dinner with Bruce contest was real or not. The book starts out innocently enough with Bruce getting a call about a film
that he would have to audition for. The film would get him out of his b-movie doldrums and into the A movie stardom. Stars like Rene Zellweger and Richard Gere are the top names in the film and partway through the book they still can’t get Bruce’s right. In essence it’s all about relationships although the advice is more what not to do than anything else. Written in typical Bruce style that will make you laugh or squirm.
Bruce has also recently written two comics, The Hire and The Man with the Screaming Brain, for Dark Horse Comics. Some of might think that writing comics is simple - well Bruce tells it a bit differently “I thought it was really hard, but I went at it as organically as I could. I wrote a short story first, so I could see it in my head, then I did the best I could to translate that information to X amount of panels on X amount of pages and where to plug in dialogue and narration. It made my brain smoke.”
And on the switch between script writing for film and for comics. “The easy part was that in filmmaking, you are taught to think visually and it’s the same in comics - it’s mostly all visual.”
Bruce might be new to comic writing but he seems optimistic. After writing The Hire and Man with the Screaming Brain is Bruce up for writing more? “Well, I tend to respond to the market if the market responds to me. If folks enjoy the comics (and purchase them), I’d be happy to cough up more mindless entertainment.” As long as we keep buying he’ll keep writing them, that’s more than fair.
The number one question for Bruce Campbell fans is Evil Dead 4. It may seem like a simple thing, but when you have the director, Sam Raimi, off doing Spider-man 1-3 when would there be time for Evil Dead 4? In the end the fans are getting a bit more than expected with a relaunch of Evil Dead, all new and all different from the original (though I do wonder if Sam’s car will get used again), as well as Bruce returning in Evil Dead 4. We asked how he felt being replaced on the relaunch: “You know, Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and I all owe a great debt to our original investors since they helped us get started, so the re-make is for them, and it’s for fans to experience that type of scary flick with cool new effects. I’m happy to get some new, young punk and splatter him with blood.” On a guess I’ll say he’s happy also that someone else will be taking most of the torture in the relaunch.
Those who have never seen Evil Dead, Xena, Charmed, and all of the rest may remember Bruce in the films Spider Man 1 & 2. Remember the ring announcer? What about the annoying usher guy with the overly noticeable chin? At some point in your description you’ll get the ahhh sound, which means the person you’ve spoken to has realized who you are talking about. And since there does seem to be Spider-man 3 in the making one does wonder what role Bruce will be taking this time. “As you recall, I named the character in the first Spidey, defeated him in the second one, so surely, I will become him for the third and take over the world!!!” I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I’m just not sure Bruce could wear the Spider Man outfit in quite the way it was intended.
After the torture endured in most of Sam Rami’s films (watch Army of Darkness/Evil Dead with commentaries and you’ll get the jist) it might be obvious that Bruce would pick up on that and pass it on to his unsuspecting crew whilst directing. “Well, you’d have to ask the crew that I worked with. I’m of the “firm but fair” school of directing. I tried not to abuse my endless powers.” It’s almost too much of a temptation to find a crew member and ask if directing brought out Bruce’s inner sadist or not. We may never know.
Man with the Screaming Brain isn’t only Bruce’s new film, but also available as a comic. He’s previously said the comic is everything that couldn’t be afforded in the film, but not many of us expect super shiny in the first place. The man himself sells it thus: “If you’re looking for a social allegory disguised as a horror flick, this is for you! Love it or leave it, Screaming Brain isn’t the product of a studio system, so it’ll have elements that appeal to more of an off-kilter crowd - and there are plenty of those folks in this grand country of ours. “
In the near future we may not get “How to get Better ABS the Bruce Campbell Way” on DVD but we do have something to look forward to besides Spider Man 3 “I’m going to issue a 6 hour audio version of the book through Ryko this summer (stay tuned here folks! Bruce Campbell Online). It’s acted out, like a radio drama, with sounds effects and everything - like a movie without the picture.”
Whether he is your favorite actor or not you’ve probably seen him in something. If by some odd chance you’ve missed Spider-man 1&2 or, heaven forbid, Evil Dead, then you may have caught him in that one episode of Charmed you sat through for no apparent reason. It’s easy to spot him; he is after all the master of the chin.
Sabrina Peyton - Newly migrated to the UK to be with her husband. After
working for Diamond Comics for a short time she ended up immersed in a few
comic book forums and ended up moderating two of the largest, the Warren
Ellis Forum (WEF) and Mark Millar’s forum (Millarworld).
She’s written for Sequential Tart, and The Vampirella Magazine, Editor and Chief of Nerdbait.com and
Wickedinclinations.com and is now a contributor and editor for The.Magazine.