My conversation with Bruce Campbell: Straight, no chaser and no agendas

Last Fan Standing -Bruce Campbell – Courtesy of Rialto Theatre

At HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis, I caught up with Bruce Campbell to chat about everything under the sun except for that guy with the chainsaw.

“I fled Los Angeles and moved to a remote part of Oregon to renew, regroup and reload.” – Bruce Campbell

A Series of Firsts

Hard to believe but HorrorHound was my first con experience. Truth be told, I was a little apprehensive at first but we all have to get out of our comfort zones once and awhile.

I was looking forward to finally sitting down and talking to Bruce Campbell without an agenda or a schedule that needed to be adhered to. For those of you who are expecting this to be a post-Ash conversation, I will disappoint you now. It isn’t.

Neither Bruce nor I were interested in rehashing ground that has already been covered ad infinitum. As much as I enjoyed all of the incarnations of Evil Dead throughout the years, it is time to respectfully move on. As Campbell has stated in prior interviews, “There is no more I can give Ash physically, mentally or spiritually. I left it all on the table.”

This is a man who is complex with many diverse interests, a keen intellect and strong opinions. Which is precisely why he is a sought-after personality. I was more interested in finding out what he wants to do with his life now that he is calling the shots.

So, here he is. The honest, straight shooting, hard-working guy from Detroit, Bruce Lorne Campbell.

The Conversation

Joining the Lodge

Joining the Lodge – Bruce Campbell – Courtesy of Nicholas Hunt-Getty Images North America

1428 Elm: I have seen your performance as Gary Green in Lodge 49. You did a terrific job and it is one of your best portrayals in years. I remember in an interview you said that Paul Giamatti (executive producer) rang you up after your Hail to the Chin book tour to talk to you about being in the series. Help me connect the dots. How do you know him?

Bruce Campbell: We almost did the sequel to Bubba Ho-Tep together. Paul was at one point interested in playing Colonel Parker in a prequel to Bubba Ho-Tep back when Elvis was with the Colonel. It was going to show that Don Coscarelli and a couple of folks had concocted a story.

Giamatti was a fan of Bubba and so we had dinner and a couple of drinks. We became friendly and stayed in touch. And I was on my way down to Florida which was my last stop on the book tour.

He sent an email and he said, “Hey, you got to look at this (Lodge 49 script). Just read it and take a look at it.” I was always doing different jobs and this was for AMC.

I had never worked for AMC before. AMC does classic stuff and I think Paul has a deal with them. And so, I thought okay. The writing always sells to actors. If you give them a good script, they will do s*** for free.

BC (Cont.): It was just one of those cases. It wasn’t a gig I was looking for in the least. I was done. I’m glad I did it.