Both Bruce Campbell ("Ash") and Heath Doolin (Special Effects and Pyrotechnics of AOD) have been kind enough to answer these questions:
Messages from Bruce Campbell:
Along with research often comes unpleasant findings; in this case I've come to the conclusion that my favorite hero was played by someone who doesn't look upon this character with such favoritism. With this in mind, I was inspired to ask:
You've played many roles in your career as an actor, and we love to see you no matter what the part. What were your top three favorite roles, and if ASH doesn't make the top three; where does he rank?
"They are:
1. Brisco
2. Autolycus
3. Ash"
I've read that Sam Raimi has a thing with "abusing" Mr. Campbell on the set, so I offered him the chance to return fire...
I've read that Sam Raimi has a thing with "abusing" you.
For example, a WWW site said something like:
"...in AOD while Bad Ash is being buried, it was Sam Raimi
that threw the dirt on Bad Ash's face, and he threw it quite hard..."
If this situation does truly exist; surely you get the last word in, right?
"Well, at least it was peat moss and not dirt..."
After yet another "EVIL DEADFEST", I was watching the credits roll by at the end of ARMY OF DARKNESS.
Towards the very end, a dedication is made to the remembrance of Ivan Shapiro (an Executive Producer of EVIL DEAD 2).
ARMY OF DARKNESS was dedicated to the remembrance of
Ivan Shapiro, an Executive Producer of most fans' favorite movie.
Is there anything you'd like to say about this unsung hero?
"Irvin Shapiro was the Patron Saint of our film.
Without his honest guidance, we never could have
navigated the early days of distributing our first film..."
I've always admired these guys for maintaining an honest feeling horror situation, while keeping the profanity to a minimum.
One of the questions I've always wanted to ask is:
The horror genre is chock full of profanity spewing heroes.
ASH, however a smart-ass; is not so quick to dish out the cursings.
Is this a policy of yours (or any one person), or did it just happen
that way?
"I don't really know...we're all from the midwest...maybe that..."
I've read that ID Software's DOOM was inspired by THE EVIL DEAD.
Let's see if Mr. Campbell enjoys blowing away some bad guys off the set...
You are credited to "THE DEATHMATCH MANIFESTO".
Many quotes from THE EVIL DEAD Trilogy are commonplace in
today's "first person" shooter games. For example, Duke Nukem
says; "Come get some", "Groovy", and even the sacred "Hail To The King, Baby".
Understanding you're somewhat of a computer geek these days,
do you play any of these type games; and if so what's your fave?
"Alas, I do not my friend..."
Well, he didn't quite answer this one... I'm still wondering:
THE EVIL DEAD story revolves around "The Book Of The Dead".
Why did the proper name of THE BOOK change from Noturom Demontos
in THE EVIL DEAD to Necronomicon Ex Mortis in the other two movies?
"I believe it's just another way to say the same thing..."
Guess I worded this question wrong!
Joseph LoDuca is credited to music composition in all three of
THE EVIL DEAD Trilogy.
Does he go way back with you and Mr. Raimi or did you meet
him during the creation of THE EVIL DEAD?
"Yes and yes..."
I didn't think he did much "aimless surfing", but thought I'd ask anyway:
While you're WWW Surfin' what kinda stuff do you look for?
"Specific stuff - research (National Archives, etc.), car/plane reservations, etc."
The following is a collection of questions asked of Bruce Campbell by others:
DO YOU DO YOUR OWN STUNTS? AND, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED DOING A STUNT?
I do my own stunts to a degree. It's a fallacy that some actors "do all their own stunts." Insurance Companies simply will not allow this. I do more than the average actor and have done dumb things in the past, but plenty of talented stunt men have helped out too.
As far as injuries go, on the first "Evil Dead" film, Sam Raimi mounted the camera on a motorcycle for the last shot of the film. He rode the bike through the cabin and rammed into me with it. I broke a rib and he banged up his knee -- kids, sheesh!
In "Army," I cut my face flipping a stunt man, but the doctor in the emergency room didn't know which "cut" to stitch up -- Ash had so many others...
To quote Larry Fine of the Three Stooges, "The pain goes away on pay day..."
YOU'RE WELL KNOWN FOR THE EVIL DEAD FILMS THAT YOU STARRED IN AND HELPED PRODUCE. THESE FILMS ARE VERY POPULAR WITH CERTAIN GROUPS OF FANS, AND NOT REALLY MAINSTREAM HITS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A BIG "CULT" FOLLOWING LIKE THIS?
I have made my living primarily on television for the last three years. That is about as mainstream as you can get. As far as the "cult" thing goes, I appreciate the fans very much but I don't really think about the Evil Dead films much. I will always think of them fondly in creative terms, but they are no longer responsible for the work I am currently getting.
HAVE B HORROR TYPE FILMS ALWAYS BEEN A LOVE OF YOURS OR ARE THOSE TYPES OF FILMS JUST ANOTHER GIG FOR YOU?
I think it should be known that I never intended to be a horror/genre actor. I simply intended to be an actor. When we made the first Evil Dead, we had made the decision to shoot a horror film because at the time it was a very marketable and successful genre. Granted, because of the Evil Dead films, I ended up doing other genre pictures.
WILL THERE BE AN EVIL DEAD 4?
Gee, I've never heard that one...There are currently no plans to do another "Evil Dead" flick. Time, economics and the schedules of the principal participants are all factors. However, I would be happy to do another one if Sam Raimi directs. You never know...
DID YOU EXPECT THE EVIL DEAD TRILOGY TO BE AS POPULAR AS IT IS TODAY?
No, we only hoped it would be successful enough to get our investors money back. That way, we could make another film. We really just wanted to "go the distance" as Rocky would say.
WHICH OF THE THREE EVIL DEAD FILMS DID YOU ENJOY DOING THE MOST? WHY?
Probably "Evil Dead II." It connected with audiences in a weird way and we were still able to make it in a very controlled atmosphere, relatively free from studio intervention.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE IN ED2?
Probably the same as everyone else's -- the possessed hand stuff...
WHY ARE THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD II, AND ARMY OF DARKNESS EACH DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE BEFORE?
When it came time to do ED2 (7 years later), we couldn't get the rights to the original footage from ED1 (to do re-cap stuff), and the original actors had all gone off to do other things. So, in our infinite wisdom, we decided to "lie" about how Ash got to the cabin and who he was with (i.e. just Linda).
This, indeed, confused a lot of people and caused them to think Ash was dumb enough to return to the cabin with another girlfriend (as well as fuel the useless debate that ED2 was really a "remake" and not a "sequel" -- zzzzzzzz). Granted, Ash IS dumb enough to return to the cabin, but that was not our original intent.
When AOD rolled along (5 years after ED2), we felt that the re-cap could again be "diddled" with, especially since Universal Studios wanted the film to "stand on its own," without any relation to the other sequels -- hence the different title (as opposed to ED3). This time around, Bridget Fonda expressed an interest in playing a small role in the film, so what are we gonna say -- "No?"
So, she became the new Linda and the audience (the ones who had been following along) became confused all over again!
DO YOU MISS PLAYING ASH?
No. To be honest, I never really think about "him." I enjoyed playing the idiot and I always enjoy working with Sam Raimi, but I don't really need to reflect about the guy.
WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST IN ASH'S CHARACTER?
That he was certainly no smarter than the average audience member was, but that ultimately his shortcomings were made up by sheer determination. I also like the fact that he was not an ex-Navy Seal, CIA, FBI, etc.
IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT THAT ASH IS SORT OF RAIMI'S (AND THE AUDIENCE'S) PUNCHING BAG. WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THIS GUY GET BEAT UP?
Because he's basically an idiot, and he asks for everything he gets. Also, Ash represents everything that people would like to see happen to a "hero," but normally don't get to see. Studio films usually frown upon their heroes being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people.
AS ASH, YOU WERE IMMORTALIZED AS A VINYL MODEL. WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE A 12-INCH VERSION OF YOURSELF ADORNING BOOKSHELVES?
You'll have to ask him, he's in a box in the attic.
WOULD YOU EVER PLAY ASH AGAIN IF THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF ANOTHER PERSON WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF ASH OVER YOU?
Yes, I would play Ash, but only if Sam Raimi was director. As for someone else playing him, I pity the fool!
IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT IN ARMY OF DARKNESS, WHAT WOULD IT BE? WHY?
We wouldn't have let anyone change the ending. And, we could have fought harder for the "original cut" of the film.
Messages from Heath Doolin:
After hearing that Mr. Doolin was a fan of THE EVIL DEAD long before taking part in the creation ARMY OF DARKNESS,
I figured he'd surely have some great snapshots to share.
By any chance do you have any behind the scenes photos you wouldn't mind sharing?
No pics..The crew were instructed not to shoot to many pics around the sets.
As per the usual command, the surprise was kept for the movie audience in case
one of the photo shooters decided to make a few xtra dollars selling the pics to Fangoria
or some other movie rag.
Also you could be sued because of copyright infringement and
stuff. I would if I could mind you. Also...you may get a eagle eye
looking for my name on the creds...I work under a psuedonym rather than
my real name and I worked under a company rather than on my own in the
movie. So my name is not up in lights (sigh) Maybe someday I will have
my John Hancock up there like Rick Baker, but until then I keep on.
When I was a young troubled lad, my demented friends and I would stuff lighter fluid and firecrackers into our old models...
I was curious if maybe Heath did too, only enjoyed it a little more; and made a career of it.
Optical Effects and Pyrotechnics...
Does that mean as a kid you enjoyed building detailed models then blowing them up with M-80's?
Pyrotechs is just that..making the big booms. Optical effects do entail
modeling mostly but a lot of design and construction as well as making
the impossible possible, like making a little Ash put a big nail in a
big Ash foot (bluescreening) Optical effects means you try to help with
a lot of different things in my book. And no, I was not the type to
[play with many M-80's as a kid. Building them yes I could but not
blowing stuff up. I liked chemistry which is why I think I like
pyrotechnics.
Ya just gotta love that big ole boat ASH drives...
The Car had some cool modifications towards the end of AOD,
how much building and blowing up did you do there?
The Car..a 1976 Olds Delta. One of the few big block engines in a mass
produced car. It was not too much building on the part of the Car
itself... Mostly just a lot of bells and whistles. What I mean is that
most of the functions of the car were kept in the car and the add on
were simply like makeup on the face..there to enhance but not have
purpose. Like the seat where Bruce sat and "drove" the car. A driver
simply sat hunkered down under the dashboard and drove the car using
closed circut TV. Bruce simply acted like he was driving. And the
whirley on the front was a seperate piece attached to a servo motor to
keep it moving. As far as blowing up, it was simply a few flashers to
simulate a force turning the car over and the car was rolled using a
small ramp designed to do so and hidden behind scrap.
When I think of pyrotechnics and ARMY OF DARKNESS, the seige comes to mind immediately.
Did you get to shoot any flaming arrows at The Skeletons?
That seems to be the "big pyro" scene in AOD, anything you'd like to say about it?
They had an archer do that but I did get to shoot the arrows into the air
over the castle wall (that mass arrow scene looking at the castle.) and
I was one of the walking dead in the Army advancing on the castle. It
was really great because it was a bunch of the crew really out there
hamming it up. But the team was responsible for the big explosions but
sorry to say, we did not shoot dynamite into the skeleton, we simply put
charges behind the flaming barricades and set them off. Would have been
fun to do though
The Evil Dead
