Hi, 'My Name Is Bruce' and I Have a Problem...

News: What the Fear

Hi, 'My Name Is Bruce' and I Have a Problem...

by Gabrielle DiPietro, Fri., Oct. 31, 2008 12:00 AM PDT

Bruce Campbell has a big problem. Around the world it seems that when horror fans encounter a demonic book that possesses their souls and forces them to amputate their limbs, they call on Bruce for help. And when they’re confronted with a colossal Chinese god of war, well, who better to phone than the man they call “The Chin”? That’s exactly what happens in Campbell's latest movie, My Name Is Bruce, when a group of nerdy kids mistake the B-movie actor for his character, Ash, in the Evil Dead movies. And since My Name is Bruce hits theaters in New York on October 31st, we sat down with Mr. Campbell himself to chat about his unconventional autobio-pic, his upcoming Spider-Man cameos, the Evil Dead remake/sequel and My Name is Bruce 2! Read our exclusive interview and check out the new film's release schedule after the jump.

Why should fans see My Name Is Bruce?
It’s very important for them to get a warped version of me that scares them forever.

You’ve seen yourself on screen, in comics, as action figures, and now you've manifested into this character playing a warped version of yourself…
Yeah, I’ve been transformed into the weirdest B-movie character you’ve ever seen.

What's been the most obscure representation of yourself that you’ve seen?
All action figures are weird because they never look like you. One of them really cracked me up because I had blue eyes [laughs], and I’m like, “I don’t have blue eyes. That’s weird they gave me blue eyes. Okay I guess I have blue eyes.” One made me look like Little Abner. There was an Evil Dead one where I’ve got my foot up on a stump… It’s all variations from there. I even have this crazy paper-weight thing up in my attic somewhere. But there is a Bruce one coming out from Dark Horse. It’s a full size…well, not full size, but it’s the big individual creation of Bruce from this movie, so it’s pure B-movie actor…full size deal.

Any chance we’ll see an action figure based on the My Name is Bruce monster?
I think the creature would be good because the thing what’s good about Guan-Di—that’s our monster—the Chinese god of war, is he hasn’t really been over-exploited. We haven’t really seen too many Chinese gods of war as the bad guy…especially in a modern setting.

Although I’m sure the fans wouldn’t have it any other way, My Name is Bruce is basically a pretty strange approach to an autobio-pic. Would you have even considered doing a bio-pic in any other form?
It’s really important to do a bio pic that will outrage and confuse. That’s the only way it’s worth doing those. Perpetuate lies and create new ones. Let’s not forget W.C. Fields, the old-time comedian, used to make up most of his own PR. There were huge rumors left swirling around him but he made up most of them.

Well you’ve definitely had your share of swirling rumors. Especially about the Evil Dead remake or sequel…
Yeah, yeah…

You’re listed on IMDB (though they’ve been proven wrong before) as a producer only. Can you comment on that at all?
Yeah, it’s real simple. It isn’t good or bad. It’s basically we thought we would do part IV whenever it made sense with my schedule and Sam’s, and we’ve both been busy. You just have to make it happen and it’s all about attention span. If it’s going to happen it will happen organically before I get too old.

Beyond that, as far as a remake, there’s not really much for me in that besides producing. What, am I going to play the old guy at the shop and I’ll say, “Don’t go there!”? It’s like, “Shut up, old man.” What am I going to do? That’s pretty much that. And again, it’s about attention span.

We want it to happen when the three of us pay enough attention to do it. It’s too much of a franchise issue and it starts to hurt the story and the characters and you have to split the money way too many ways. It just doesn’t make sense. Mostly it’s the creative. It’s sort of a creative zero.

With Evil Dead, if I remade it I would get five nobodies you haven’t seen in anything, because that’s just what Evil Dead was, and I’d shoot it on 16MM and make it a scary-ass, old-time horror movie…and leave it at that. And try to make it interesting, special and fun for fans. Same with special effects--you don’t even have to go too crazy with that. I’d do a whole retro deal.

There’s a reason why these things [the Evil Dead sequel/remake] haven’t gotten made. It’s because people are either too busy or not really that interested. If we were really dying to make an Evil Dead remake we would have made it. If we really wanted to do an Evil Dead IV we would have done it.

In speaking to Sam lately, have you spoken to him about possible upcoming cameo roles in the Spider-Man films…
First of all, I want to hear it from his lips that he’s actually making the movies. I’m going to see him in a couple of days and I’m gonna grill him because, sure, I want to play the milkman. I have so many other parts I need to play. There are so many things I need to do in those Spider-Man movies. I must annoy Spider-Man at all times. I always demand that my scenes are with Toby Maguire.

What is your biggest fear?
[NOTE: At this point in the interview Bruce pauses and I hear an IM *blip* in the background. So he quickly answers.]
Ignorance. The more ignorance there is in this world the more fearful I get.

Well, thank you again for taking the time to speak with us…
Thanks, and I’ll talk to you during the sequel!