Bruce Campbell: The Biggest Jerk in the Book
By Mark E. Hayes

The name Bruce Campbell might not immediately ring any particular bells for you, but it's very likely you'll recognize the intense, lantern-jawed face of this actor from a career any actor would envy, full of offbeat and distinctive roles. From the chainsaw-and-shotgun-wielding antihero Ash in the cult classics Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, to appearances on television series such as "Xena" and "Hercules," as well as the title role in the excellent but ill-fated TV series "Adventures of Brisco County Jr.," Campbell has made his mark both in front of the camera and behind it — he served as a director or producer on almost all of the above.

His 2001 best-selling memoir, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," is a witty collection of his experiences on the road to a career in show business. Now, Campbell has written a novel, "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way," that sends up Hollywood moviemaking, drawing on real-world people for some of its satirical targets. Campbell has been travelling cross-country for the past few months promoting his new book in what he's calling the Summer of Love Tour.

Why do you tour so extensively?

That's how you sell books. It's the only way. One of the great ironies is that most authors would never care to see another human being and would rather sit in a room all by themselves and stare at a computer. But you have to get out and travel with a book. It's the last phase. In making movies, it's the third phase: you have to come up with the idea and write it, then you have to make the movie, and then you have to sell the movie. So I'm in "phase three" right now.

Your first book, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," was an autobiography. Why is the second book, "Make Love (The Bruce Campbell Way)," a novel?

Because I haven't done enough, as the joke goes, between the first book and now. It was a chance to branch out. With novels it's a whole new ballgame: You're not writing about yourself. But in this case, I decided to put myself in as a lead character and write a "what if" story of what would happen if you took a B-movie actor — meaning me — and stuck him into a big A-production directed by Mike Nichols and starring Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger. And the answer is: It's not a good idea. It's a misadventure.

Could you go into the distinction that you make in the book about the difference between A movies and B movies?

The funny thing is today all the A movies are B movies. I mean, if you get bitten by a radioactive spider, I got news for you: That's a B-movie. If aliens attack the earth, Tom Cruise can jump up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch all he wants, but it's still a B-movie. So the lines are being blurred.

Mike Nichols, Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger are all mentioned prominently in the novel. Have you gotten any communications or feedback from any of them?

No, I have not heard from any of them. I've not met them, I don't know them. We'll see what happens. We're not really concerned. They're public figures and this is a work of fiction. We're not really revealing anything that's uncomfortable about any of them. I'm the biggest jerk in the book. Theoretically.

Do you ever wear the smoking jacket that we see you in on the cover?

All the time. You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

There's a whole generation of people who grew up on the Evil Dead and Army of Darkness movies. Do you look back and feel gratified about the struggles that you and Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert had in getting those movies made?

Yes. I mean, Army of Darkness was a bomb, but it went on to live in video heaven and did extremely well in the aftermarket. The first Evil Dead did pretty well, but we didn't see any money from it, because of certain unscrupulous behavior but certain companies that will remain nameless. The second Evil Dead was made by Dino De Laurentis, and that did OK. I think the success of the first one allowed us to sell the second one for more money. They weren't what you'd call out-of-the-park home runs. They were little bloopers into left field where the guy fumbled the ball and we were able to get around the bases — an inside-the-park home run.

Getting back to that false distinction between A movies and B movies, it's as if comic books, horror movies, aliens and superheroes, all those things people loved growing up, are ascendant now.

I love the fact that Evil Dead is in Kmart. This is a movie that's been banned in five countries. It's the same movie. Time has a way to chill it all out.

Your most recent movie is Sky High. Is there anything particularly magical about working on a Disney movie?

Disney is very pleasant. The joke is that they treat you like family and they pay you like family. But it was a good experience and it was my third movie for them. It's funny: I think I'm more typecast outside of the industry than within it. It's always fun to work for Disney because not every movie can have stuff blowing up.

Is Coach Boomer based on any physical education teachers you've known?

He based on every PE teacher, every idiot that's ever tormented you. We had a guy in school — Mr. Yastremski or something — and he was just basically a big blowhard. Our football coach Mr. Rankin would walk around smoking cigarettes all day. This is the guy who's coaching football?

And you had the shorts as well? You notice I'm paying a lot of attention to your wardrobe.

Oh yeah, you gotta have the short shorts and the big tall ugly socks. I's the only way to go.

What are your thoughts on Bubba Ho-Tep, and what was it like working with Ossie Davis?

It's a cool little indie. That was a real indie. That's a term that's overused these days, but that film was financed by the director, and you can't get any more independent than that. My feeling is if you have a release date when you make your movie, you're not an independent. If you go to film festivals just to promote your movies, you're not an independent either. If you go to film festivals to get a distribution deal, then you're an independent. I was proud of it in that respect, that it was a genuine effort just to do an interesting movie. Now it's really come full circle, it's invaded my memorabilia, so when I sign stuff, a significant portion of it is from Bubba Ho Tep, so it's invaded that world. And Ossie Davis was a gem. He was a gentleman, a class act, very calm and very poised. You know, he'd been making movies since 1945.

So on this book tour you've also been promoting your own movie — one you wrote, produced and directed — The Man with the Screaming Brain.

At most venues this summer, I've been doing a book signing at a theatre where we show my new wacky flick. It's been really fun, because we've been trying to support alternative houses, calendar houses, revival houses — these great old beasts of theatres that are still limping along with the velvet curtains and the sticky floors.

You've been involved — almost down to arranging for venues — with the production of this movie.

The Man with the Screaming Brain has taken 19 years to come to fruition. The germ of the idea was given to my friend in a rowboat in 1986, so it's been a long time. Finally, due to the success of a couple of flicks I did for the Sci-Fi Channel, they became interested in it and were able to finally get it made.

There's also a comic book that is based on the movie?

That was another thing we decided to do. I have worked closely with the Dark Horse Comics guys before. I really like their company, and I think they did a really nice job. There's four issues — I think the last issue is out now, and then they'll do the graphic novel version.

You're all over the place. You have a very good website, you're on television, in movies, you have the books and comics. How have developments in media and technology changed what you do?

Technology has helped a lot. Just on this book tour, the things that we're using between websites to get the word out, and websites for the theatres. There are a lot of things that are improving as far as communications are concerned. Technology has helped filmmaking a lot with all this digital stuff. Digital sound has become much easier than the old analog system that we had to use. I think it's going in the right direction.

You've also been involved in several Evil Dead video games. How do you feel about the recent higher profile controversy over mature content in video games?

My feeling is that this is America, so entertainers should be able to put out anything they want, as long as they don't mislead the audience. I think people have to know what they're getting when they buy it, and if they don't, that's a mistake. But to tell someone what they can or can't put out is wrong. Other countries have censorship — we don't.

Is it true that you are an avid player of a role-playing game called Deadlands?

Avid is not the right word. I have played it. I'm familiar with it, but beyond that, no — I think it's just internet rumors. I'm not much of a gamer, period. My son's a gamer, I'm not.

I had heard that there was a standing rule at gaming conventions that should you show up you automatically get to play as your character Brisco County, Jr.

Oh, well sure. That part is true. It doesn't mean I know how to play it. Rumors, those blessed rumors. If anybody wants to keep track of what's coming up or going on, my website really does have it all. And if it's not on the website, it's not. That's my rumor control of the day.

How do you feel about McHale's Navy achieving the status of American Movie Classic?

It was on AMC? That's a mistake. Hey, Army of Darkness was on American Movie Classics. So now you have Ben-Hur, Army of Darkness, and McHale's Navy. The funny thing is, on a theatre marquee in Sacramento recently — I showed Screaming Brain at the Crest Theatre there — and the marquee was East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and The Man with the Screaming Brain. It was a perfect triple bill, because James Dean and I are compared all the time.

E-mail Mark E. Hayes at mark.e.hayes@gmail.com.