Dreamwerk's Sci-Fi Collectors Expo, July 25-26, 1998, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington
Bruce Campbell, "Autolycus",
Xena/Hercules
Brisco Co. Jr., Ellen, Army of
Darkness,
Night of the Dead
While I use quotes to indicate when the presenter is speaking, I make no claim to be quoting verbatim. In the heat of being there and enjoying the presentations, what I jot down is the GIST of the conversation although hopefully I do catch the best phrases as spoken. Any misinterpretations or errors are solely my own. This page is entertainment, not journalism. Jump to the links section.
Saturday
I really didn't catch on to who this guy was until he came on stage, but obviously everyone else knew because he was greeted by wild applause. He was very personable, very giving, very funny. He was the lead in Brisco Co. Jr. and is now a villain in Hercules/Xena. He and Sam Raimie grew up together and got into the 'business' co-producing his first films, so they work together a lot. He's CUTE, a dark-haired, square jawed, straight, enlightened macho male, with ATTITUDE--that is, feisty humor, healthy libido with an equally healthy respect for family and fiscal responsibility--I really liked him. Very generous with the fans, joined in the fun. During the auction he was signing autographs but everytime something came up he could relate to, he'd jump up and add his signature to the item with a quip ala--"I can kick this guy's butt." I was bidding for a Bill Shatner photo (I hadn't got his autograph yet in my collection) and Bruce made a bid against me. I upped it and got it...so I figured he owed me; I wrote out a statement about our having been in a bidding war ("Marge bid against me for this Bill Shatner photo and outbid me by a measly $4.00!")...and he laughed and signed it! ("The Cheapskate")
Are you as roguish in real life as in your roles?
"Ask my wife...(he holds out his left hand with its prominently displayed wedding ring)...actually, acting provides plenty of opportunity for pre-planned infidelity...you can enjoy yourself without necessarily getting into trouble."
How did your wife feel about you carrying Cleopatra?
"You mean my carrying Cleopatra's butt? She felt just fine as soon as the check cleared! She's in Seattle right now spending that check!"
In 'Xena', do you and Lucy play pranks on the set?
"We do things to keep amused. No, Xena would never play a prank on me...she's much too afraid of me...yah, right. I don't mess with that lady..."
"But, remember that tsunami episode? We were in water for hours--a really pleasant experience even though they did try to keep the water warm. So anyway, we made a bet. Whoever loses it and throws a fit first has to pay the other two $10,000. Nobody gave in and nobody paid. But because the water was constantly running in the background, we had to re-record our voices in the studio. Normally, Lucy hasn't got much dialog; here, of course, she had one Kirk speech after another. We usually don't have to do more than 4 hours of studio voice-over work; Lucy spent 3 extra days on that episode. She was REEEAL happy about that."
How did you meet your wife and do you have kids?
"My wife was a costume designer on Mind Warp--(that film wasn't released...it escaped!) She called me up to take preliminary notes for fit--'You're real tall, right?' 'No, average height.' 'Well, you're real muscular, really buff, right?' 'No....' 'Well, why did they hire you!!??' She didn't think much of me in the beginning. "
"I have a teenage daughter and a slightly younger son. (from an earlier marriage) We just left LA and have moved to the Pacific Northwest! (wild applause) Yeah...now I look out the window and see TREES! It's great."
Do you expect to do a repeat of Men in Pink?
"No... I don't think so. Boy, women are crazy! What they put themselves through! Hair removal creams and lotions are EVIL. (Someone shouts out...Wax!) Wax! No way! And they squeezed us into a girdle...for the striptease portion of the scene. And those high heels! Pushing your toes into that little pointy space...(squeaky voice) 'Oh, but look what it does for my calves!'..."
"Nahh, they can't pay you enough..."
Someone asks a question...
"Where did you hear that? On the Internet? Don't believe it! If it isn't from my official website, its false!"
Have you done anything recently with the Cohen Brothers?
"I have a cameo in Fargo! Did you catch it? The criminal is watching TV...an old, old Detroit soap opera (the lamest they could find) and its ME! But no, I haven't worked with them recently."
Any advice for aspiring actors?
Produce! Seriously, the best way to get on-screen is to cast yourself. See Biography
Sunday
Bruce came on stage looking great in a black T-shirt and slacks.
"Have any of you seen 'Godzilla'? SUCKERS! Yeah, it was kinda disappointing. (He points to his shirt on which is tastefully emblazoned in glow-in-the-dark green--"PLOT DOES MATTER.")
"I saw it with my 10-year-old son; he enjoyed it.
These are the sacrifices long-suffering parents make
for their children."
"Let's take a poll...How many saw 'Godzilla'...'Armaggedon'...'X-files'? Did you like 'X-files?' Its a TV show taken to the movies... What do you pay for movies up here, $8? (We hear $8, $7, $4) $4.00? MATINEES "Matinees, there you go...there's some smart people. Hey, guys, these are sucker movies. You do learn from them though. You learn to add and subtract--they add, you subtract. TV is free, folks!" "What else have you liked? 'The Search for Private Ryan...' I've heard good things about that movie...do they find him? Don't give the plot away...but do you think they WOULDN'T find him? My theory is, the higher the budget, the more predictable the plot, because they don't want to risk all that money! Do you think there's any danger that Hanks might die? No way... (Someone shouts out that Bruce Willis dies in Armageddon.) Does he? Good! But you know in any film that might have a sequel...the hero never dies. They won't get my money...no way. I wait for some lame ass cable re-run while I'm at some Hilton for a convention."
What movies have impressed you?
"'LA Confidential' was pretty good; I had to pay attention. Actually, I don't go to movies too much; I just can't get into them because I know the business too well. 'That guy is looking for his mark...' I spend all my time analyzing the technical end of how the film is put together instead being absorbed in the story.
"My favorite movie is 'Bridge on the River Kwai.' I like to see people I can really relate to. You know, what don't we see more car mechanics...why does everyone have to be a brain surgeon or lawyer!"
I've noticed in the credits to some of your movies references to 'shemps'--what are those?
"Do you remember 'The 3 Stooges'?--Guys love the Stooges, girls hate 'em. (squeaky voice) 'They're not funny!' Any guy will tell you, 'Of course, they're FUNNY!' Well, the Stooges did all these Shorts, right? Anytime a big budget film was finished and they were preparing to trash the big, expensive set, the Stooges would negotiate to use it--hey, we can have a big food fight, or whatever-- Well, they had a bunch of shorts waiting to be finished when Shemp Howard (one of the brothers) had a heart attack and died. So they used a substitute--a hand here, the back of the head there--to finish off necessary scenes. From then on any unidentified person subbing for the real actors who went home a long time ago, is called a shemp!'
I miss 'Brisco Co. Jr.' Any chance they'll revive it?
"So where were you when they passed out the Neilson Boxes? Actually, Brisco was #1 in rural areas, but that's not where they have those darn boxes placed. Our numbers just didn't make it. But the same 26 episodes are being played over and over. No, it would be too hard to get the crew together again. It's unlikely to revive."
"I liked doing 'Brisco' but the hours involved in doing a series like that are really long. I was sorry it was cancelled, but also relieved."
Will you be doing another 'Evil Dead' movie?
"Think about it in terms of a car...You bought your first car for $175; it was a clunker but you owned the car, fixed it up, were prouder than heck...you sell it for a tidy profit. Your 2nd car, you think 'I want a better car!' You get financing so you can buy it. You don't own the car; by the time you pay it off, it dies. Now you want a 3rd car--a REALLY NICE car. You lease it. It has high maintenance. You are scared stiff you are going to mark it, damage it, spill stuff on the interior before you return it to the agency. Movies are like that...the higher the budget, the higher the studio control of the product. Creative control goes out the window. The film is subjected to 'sneak previews'--so you have a film where there's this scene--the bad guy is in his hotel room, naked; he opens the briefcase and his face reflects gold, he empties the briefcase on the bed--its a mass of gold coins. He dives naked into the coins, rolls around in them--the scene tells you something about his character, right? You think, 'Oooo, I don't like this guy; there's something creepy about him.' But at the sneak preview, everyone answers the question--what was your least favorite scene--with 'the dive into the money' scene. So the scene is cut--and an appropriate scene that tells you about the character goes out the window; when you see him in the film you have no idea of his motivation...
So, No, I'm not planning another 'Evil Dead'. 'Army of Darkness' is being re-issued on DVD--with the studio ending, not the original ending. (boo, hiss) (Someone asks why are there different versions made for Europe/US?) Sometimes it has to do with different country time slots, delivery requests--they want it now and we haven't finished the editing, so they get the longer version--but in the US it's mostly the rating boards. We don't have censorship, folks, we have rating boards. 'Army of Darkness' gets an NC-17 for talking skeletons! 'Goodfellows' with a dozen messy stabbings passes. That's called Martin Scorsese v. low budget films. So some folk film REALLY gross scenes for censure and cutting, so the real movie will be left alone. There are games being played on both sides."
Do you have any dreams of what you'd like to play?
"Nah, I take it as it comes. The trick is to make each one a good role. Wanting something that might or might not materialize is a setup for disappointment."
Would you do a Xena yell for us?
"Ahhh, the truth is, they dubbed it in...I can't do that...pretty, damned ridiculous, eh?"
Did you mimic Reagan in 'Vanishing Act'?
"Would I parody a President? You betch your ass, I did. (laughter and applause)
Did you enjoy being on 'Homicide'?
"Yeah, that was fun. The show has a good atmosphere. It's real different because they use a hand held camera. There are fewer marks to worry about because the camera will move you into view, but you have to keep alert and in character, because you never know when you might be panned. Sometimes the cameraman would whisper instructions to me--while others were talking--not loud enough to be heard--but it was disconcerting. It was good experience. Baltimore is an interesting city, as well."
Do you like being on 'Xena'?
"I'm proud to be on 'Xena.' There aren't too many shows with such strong roles for women. Can you name any others? Voyager, OK...Buffy, Vampire Slayer, yeah, right...Ellen (of course, she's off the air now)...Cybill, Murphy Brown...
I'm glad Xena is willing to kick men's butts. The guys watch her in awe and fear. Yesterday, a guy was here who WAS her. (One of the best costumed people Saturday was a Xena who visually looked great and very female, but when he asked his first question had a very deep, husky voice--obviously a guy. It was a funny surprise.)
Do you do your own stunt work?
"I'm getting better at flipping. Want to see me flip? (He leaps up and down in place.) We have this terrific acrobat on set. I do a leap--they cut/paste his flip--and I land. It's AMAZING! I do do my own fights.
What's the most exotic location shot you've done.
"Costa Rica for 'Congo'. We were right next to the most active volcano on the continent. It started rumbling while we were into the shoot and we were almost evacuated. It erupted 4-5 times while we were there.
What was your most embarrassing moment on the set?
"I was asked to sing. I went to the director, 'You realize, I can't sing!' 'Oh, no, really? Well, do it anyway.' So, I did--gave it my best shot. It stunk. So they called me in to studio dub the sequence. Still stunk. Now they call in a REAL SINGER to lipsynch and be dubbed into the film. He couldn't do it; my musical timing and cadences were so off, he couldn't match me. So they just left it."
Where did you get your training?
"I never went to college or took acting lessons. I just learned as I went. I did have one summer working with a summer stock group--a number of famous actors were involved--I was just a behind-the-scenes gofer. But I learned a lot about the reality of acting and actors--real glamourous, right! Sam Raimie and I showed them our Super 8 collection of homemade movies--they loved it, so that was an encouragement."
I read your website biography last night (Good on ya!) and noticed that you got into acting through your dad's work in theatre. Have you done anything together?
"I've done some community theatre with my dad--'Sweet Bird of Youth' was the last time."
Have you ever been injured or injured someone else on the set?
"Injury? With all that carnage and mayhem? No... And I would never injure a stuntman! They remember! New Zealand was a trip...the stuntmen down there are unbelievable (no padding). Stuntmen are a goodhearted bunch. I was with this one guy and we were waiting for the scene to be set up. He was pacing back and forth, obviously in pain. 'What's up?' 'Oh, its my back, I injured my lower back and its uncomfortable to stand for any length of time.' So he sat down. For a minute. Then he got up again. 'Oh, I was set on fire the other day and burned my tush. It hurts to sit for any length of time....'"
When you were filming in New Zealand, were you affected by the power outages they were having?
"Off and on, yes. The nearest city to us had a power outage that lasted 3 weeks! If that happened here, you'd see major riots! They just went, 'Oh, we'll get by, OK.' Hardy stock."
© 1998 Please do not reproduce my pages, text or
pictures without prior permission. Thank you.
Feedback is always welcome. Email me at foolmj@webtv.net<
/A>
Links
Get your own Free Home
Page