HorrorHound Weekend: Bruce Campbell – No mugging allowed!
At HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis, Bruce Campbell talked about the time Sam Raimi was reluctant to hire him for American Gothic.
“As an actor, I should be able to do anything they throw at me…right?” – Bruce Campbell
The Background – Sam Raimi and Shaun Cassidy?
In 1995, I used to watch a very cool show called American Gothic on CBS. It was this weird series which was produced by Sam Raimi and former teen idol Shaun Cassidy and lasted two seasons.
That combination of talent was really strange because you had the creator of Evil Dead and Darkman on one hand and then a guy that was in The Hardy Boys and sang Da Doo Ron Ron on the other hand.
Gary Cole was the star of the show. The story took place in a little burg called Trinity in South Carolina. Cole was the evil Sheriff Buck who was actually the devil while his co-star, Lucas Black played Caleb Temple, Buck’s illegitimate son.
Basically, the Sheriff wanted to raise Caleb on his own, so he killed everyone in the boy’s family. However, Caleb’s cousin Gail (Paige Turco) steps in and thwarts Buck from trying to influence the young boy with his immoral ways.
This was the central plot of the series. Everyone trying to keep Caleb out of the line of fire, so to speak.
Bruce Campbell appeared in Season 1 Episode 7 “Meet the Beetles.” At HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis at the Evil Dead 2 panel, he told the audience how his childhood friend cast him in the role of Lt. Drey.
“I’m Not a Buffoon”
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- 31 Days of Halloween: Revisiting American Gothic with Bruce Campbell
Here is how Bruce remembers the exchange. “Sam Raimi. I work with that guy a lot. He does a show, American Gothic. There’s a part for me in that.”
So, the actor called his agent to inquire about the role. His agent agreed to pursue the part for Bruce and contacts Sam Raimi. Apparently after Raimi talked with Bruce’s agent, Sam decided to call Campbell directly.
Here is what transpired during that phone call according to Bruce.
Sam: “You think you can do this part?”
Bruce: “Hey, a******! Are you f****** kidding me? WTF! Why are you asking me this?”
Sam: “This part, there’s no mugging in this.”
Bruce: “No mugging?! You told me I had to mug and overact for the camera, you S.O.B. My poor acting is your responsibility. I know how to act!”
Sam: (Pauses) “Well, I’ll talk to the producers.”
Looking for Drama
As it turns out, Campbell did get the part. In his book, “If Chins Could Kill” Bruce happens to recount this same incident in a little more detail. Raimi kept reminding him that it wasn’t Brisco County Jr. and that he would have to be serious.
However, Bruce did set him straight by asking him this honest question. “What other actor is gonna lie in a coffin and let you pour a box of live cockroaches on their face?” Which is a valid inquiry and definitely one to consider.
Raimi responded with “Hmmm…good point.” This exchange between the two pals though made Campbell question how he was perceived. He didn’t want to be thought of as a buffoon.
After that, he started to look in earnest for dramatic roles. Shortly thereafter, he landed the part of Jake Rodzinski on Homicide: Life on the Street and the rest is history, so to speak.
light. Related Story. Conversation with Bruce Campbell: No chaser and no agendas
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