You know him, you love him, you wish you could wield a chainsaw and had a chin like him. But Bruce Campbell isn't just here to keep the Deadites from swallowing you soul, he's also here to teach us the delicate art of making love - that is, the Bruce Campbell way.
Check out Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, his new novel at bookstores everywhere, and his official site bruce-campbell.com, but don't forget the dash or you'll wind up at some car dealership in Detroit, and that's just not as much fun.
Fractal Suicide: Let's get the obligatory out of the way right quick. Evil Dead? Part 4? Remake?
BruceCampbell: :snores VERY loudly:
FS: What was that?
BC: Sorry, that was me falling asleep.
There's no sequel until Sam is done with the Spiderman movies. It's not going to be with me, and not even with the Ash character. We said that we were going to do a remake, but who knows if and when it will actually happen. Probably eventually, but it's sort of a nebulous idea. We said that we would do one, so I guess now we're sort of stuck with it, but really, we have no idea when it will happen.
FS: Could you say 'groovy' for me?
BC: If I was your little monkey I could.
FS: Well, you could be!
BC: Not in this life sister.
FS: The blurb for your new book says that 'everything in the book actually happened, except the stuff that didn't". So it's not an instructional guide, like the Bruce Campbell Kama Sutra? Wrestling with Richard Gere in his penthouse isn't a new position?
BC: No, thank God.
FS: After writing your autobiography, "If Chins Could Kill", what geared you towards writing a novel?
BC: It was time to write something else, so time to turn to fiction. It's all an economic endeavor, so really you need something to please the editor, so I tried to stick with the original thread of the Hollywood line, and do something where the apple wouldn't be falling far from the tree.
FS: The book's focal point is working on a high budget movie. What made you decide to base the novel on that, rather than the usual low budget films you work on?
BC: I talked about the low budget stuff in my first book, "If Chins Could Kill", so it was time for something new.
FS: Are you a horror/sci-fi fan yourself?
BC: I could sort of take it or leave it. I'd rather be doing a story about a car mechanic really.
FS: Do you feel you've pigeon holed yourself into that genre?
BC: No. I've covered a lot of things. I have a Disney movie coming out this year, I've done a few of them before. I was on the "Ellen" show as her boss in the last season, and the Love Bug - the one before the Linsey Lohan, and just did a voice in the upcoming movie "Sky High".
FS: Do you feel that your popularity has helped open the doors for low budget and indie film makers, or has increased the popularity with the 'cult' classics?
BC: I hope it has. DVD has helped me a lot recently, especially in the last year or so. It's so accessible, and it's crazy with sales, especially with the Internet . It's a great way to get and present films with the quality and the extras. The fans of the indies want all the bells and whistles, so the extras are great for them, it's what they're looking for. I hope the indies get more outlets like that. So far this book tour, I've been also showing my upcoming movie "The Man With the Screaming Brain" and I haven't yet shown it in a multiplex. It's all been in these little theaters, like 600 seaters. I'd like to see more small places like that stay open & more film makers keep going.
FS: What do you think of the current use of CGI? Do you feel that it is overused nowadays, considering your roots in a DIY production?
BC: It's masturbatory at this point. We need to get through with this phase. Forrest Gump needed it, there are groups of people that think Gary Sinise has no legs. Some movies demand it. There wouldn't have been a way to do that without it. Spiderman needed it, you can't have a guy swinging from rooftops in NYC without CGI. But we really need to get past it.
FS: You've acted in over 60 movies, written, produced & directed a number, written books & comics, and loaned your voice for video games & films. Is there any genre you would still like to cover?
BC: I just want to keep working. I'm a shark that swims. I'm pretty lucky. George Clooney couldn't play a 68 year old Elvis fighting mummies in a nursing home in Texas like from "Bubba Ho Tep", he's got too much to lose. I don't. But I want to have fun with it, and I want to keep it hassle free.
FS: Funny, just last night I stayed up late watching Bubba Ho Tep with a friend. You've been covered in blood & gore, played an aging Elvis, and dubbed Spiderman with his name. Where have you had the most fun?
BC: That's a dangerous question to answer. Movies to watch are really fun to make. Like with Evil Dead, you're rigged to these stupid effects rigs and cold and covered in fake blood and are uncomfortable, it's lots of work, but when you watch it, it's really fun.
Check out Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, his new novel at bookstores everywhere, and his official site bruce-campbell.com, but don't forget the dash or you'll wind up at some car dealership in Detroit, and that's just not as much fun.
Fractal Suicide: Let's get the obligatory out of the way right quick. Evil Dead? Part 4? Remake?
BruceCampbell: :snores VERY loudly:
FS: What was that?
BC: Sorry, that was me falling asleep.
There's no sequel until Sam is done with the Spiderman movies. It's not going to be with me, and not even with the Ash character. We said that we were going to do a remake, but who knows if and when it will actually happen. Probably eventually, but it's sort of a nebulous idea. We said that we would do one, so I guess now we're sort of stuck with it, but really, we have no idea when it will happen.
FS: Could you say 'groovy' for me?
BC: If I was your little monkey I could.
FS: Well, you could be!
BC: Not in this life sister.
FS: The blurb for your new book says that 'everything in the book actually happened, except the stuff that didn't". So it's not an instructional guide, like the Bruce Campbell Kama Sutra? Wrestling with Richard Gere in his penthouse isn't a new position?
BC: No, thank God.
FS: After writing your autobiography, "If Chins Could Kill", what geared you towards writing a novel?
BC: It was time to write something else, so time to turn to fiction. It's all an economic endeavor, so really you need something to please the editor, so I tried to stick with the original thread of the Hollywood line, and do something where the apple wouldn't be falling far from the tree.
FS: The book's focal point is working on a high budget movie. What made you decide to base the novel on that, rather than the usual low budget films you work on?
BC: I talked about the low budget stuff in my first book, "If Chins Could Kill", so it was time for something new.
FS: Are you a horror/sci-fi fan yourself?
BC: I could sort of take it or leave it. I'd rather be doing a story about a car mechanic really.
FS: Do you feel you've pigeon holed yourself into that genre?
BC: No. I've covered a lot of things. I have a Disney movie coming out this year, I've done a few of them before. I was on the "Ellen" show as her boss in the last season, and the Love Bug - the one before the Linsey Lohan, and just did a voice in the upcoming movie "Sky High".
FS: Do you feel that your popularity has helped open the doors for low budget and indie film makers, or has increased the popularity with the 'cult' classics?
BC: I hope it has. DVD has helped me a lot recently, especially in the last year or so. It's so accessible, and it's crazy with sales, especially with the Internet . It's a great way to get and present films with the quality and the extras. The fans of the indies want all the bells and whistles, so the extras are great for them, it's what they're looking for. I hope the indies get more outlets like that. So far this book tour, I've been also showing my upcoming movie "The Man With the Screaming Brain" and I haven't yet shown it in a multiplex. It's all been in these little theaters, like 600 seaters. I'd like to see more small places like that stay open & more film makers keep going.
FS: What do you think of the current use of CGI? Do you feel that it is overused nowadays, considering your roots in a DIY production?
BC: It's masturbatory at this point. We need to get through with this phase. Forrest Gump needed it, there are groups of people that think Gary Sinise has no legs. Some movies demand it. There wouldn't have been a way to do that without it. Spiderman needed it, you can't have a guy swinging from rooftops in NYC without CGI. But we really need to get past it.
FS: You've acted in over 60 movies, written, produced & directed a number, written books & comics, and loaned your voice for video games & films. Is there any genre you would still like to cover?
BC: I just want to keep working. I'm a shark that swims. I'm pretty lucky. George Clooney couldn't play a 68 year old Elvis fighting mummies in a nursing home in Texas like from "Bubba Ho Tep", he's got too much to lose. I don't. But I want to have fun with it, and I want to keep it hassle free.
FS: Funny, just last night I stayed up late watching Bubba Ho Tep with a friend. You've been covered in blood & gore, played an aging Elvis, and dubbed Spiderman with his name. Where have you had the most fun?
BC: That's a dangerous question to answer. Movies to watch are really fun to make. Like with Evil Dead, you're rigged to these stupid effects rigs and cold and covered in fake blood and are uncomfortable, it's lots of work, but when you watch it, it's really fun.
VIEW 25 of 45 COMMENTS
melx:
I'm late to discover him but now I love him so much. Great interview.
scoli:
My hero. 
I <3 Bruce
I <3 Bruce