How did you get involved with A Fistful of Boomstick?

Because I was involved with the first one! It's a sequel. If you're in for one, you're in for 'em all, that's what I say. If you're agreeing to be in 'em why stop with the sequel? It was a natural progression.

What's your involvement with the game - is it just voiceover work?

Yeah, but we had a chance to look at the area and the scenario, and all the different layouts they had. My thing was to bring things to their attention, the classic elements of Evil Dead movies - don't forget Sam's car, the basic weapons, the basic attitude. When we record it later this year, there will be plenty of the 'Ash-isms' that I'll be doing. It's just to make sure that the game is what people expect it to be, as far as the world of the Evil Deads is concerned. I wouldn't think to tell these guys what to do with their game.

What do you think of the game so far?

I think it's really cool, yeah. What's nice is it's a refreshing difference from the military crap that's out there. Because every other game - it's a guy in fatigues, and his hat and his combat boots going "Yeah, come on, let's go - go Delta Team, go, go, go!" I mean, the frickin' Army is here with a game! So it's a welcome relief from that. In the world of channel surfing for your favourite game, I say this is a fresh relief. It's funky, it's low-tech. Ash has a chainsaw and a shotgun and his fists - and yet he'll do it.

Are you a gamer yourself?

No. I like them though; to me it's getting more interesting the more I fool around with these games, through my son who's 14. He's the gamer - he's my tester.

Did he play the first game?

Yeah. He thought it was okay.

Was it surreal seeing his Dad on screen?

I think he's over that now - I think he gets a good laugh out of it. It's probably no different than me watching it now. It's not me, the character's not me; it's all one step removed but it's still very entertaining.

You've said that movies and games are getting closer together, with games becoming more realistic and more cinematic. Would you ever consider acting in a videogame?

That'll happen. Once all videogames go that way. But I think they don't need to now, they just get a screen capture of me and go from there. There's plenty to do just doing the voice stuff because of all the different scenarios you have to allow for; there's a lot of exposition. You might die various different ways - I've had to record 10 different ways just to die! Falling off a cliff, getting strangled, electrocuted....

Just to ask the inevitable Evil Dead 4 question... Sam Raimi did an interview where he said he might do Evil Dead 4 after he was finished with Spider-Man II.

Oh okay, well now that's he's prepping Spider-Man II, who knows? I think they expected Spider-Man to do well, but I don't think they expected it to do THAT well [the movie is currently in the top five of all-time highest grossing movies]. So, I think Sam's busy. It all depends on his schedule. Honestly, it's not something that consumes us. Here's when I think about it - I think about it when people ask me that question. We've all done other things... I've done more other movies than I've done Evil Dead movies! I've done sequels and series to other movies, too. I have no problem with it being around, but what most people don't realise is because they like them, it means that they'll keep being made forever. My question is, do you remember A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4? Do you remember Friday the 13th Part 4? That's kind of my point. The more of these you do, the less they mean. Three's a lot! It is!

There's only so many times you can hit yourself in the face, right?

It's that, but it's also that there's only so many ways you can recycle the character. Because which direction do you go? The real aficionados think Army of Darkness is a sell out, which it is; but there's plenty of people I can recommend Army of Darkness to who won't watch Evil Dead, because it's too gross. Who do you make it for? This way there's a little something for everybody.

Is there any chance of you being in Spider-Man II?

I think I probably will, yeah. Not as the same character. I'll have a guest cameo as a milkman or something like that.

You're not lobbying Sam Raimi to be a villain?

I'm fine either way. I don't bug Sam about anything. Sam does what Sam does, and we like working together - hopefully there'll be some colourful character, since he gave me the pivotal role in Spider-Man. [As the ring announcer who gives Spider-Man his name.]

Ash is such a superhero-like character; have you ever wanted to play a superhero role?

No, and honestly I would be hard pressed to take one. Usually when the superhero is on screen I look for anything else to look at. Why do you think it took three different actors to play Batman? No-one was interested in the role. "It's the car, right? Chicks dig the car" - I mean what is that? To me, the Batman character is a problem, it's a problematic character. I don't know who he is - tell me who he is!

Someone suggested to me that you'd make a good Superman.

Yeah, 15 years ago! Let's not kid ourselves here, I mean seriously - who wants to live in a gym? I was just doing a TV movie in Toronto, and the hotel I was in was like the movie's hotel. All the actors were coming and going, and you couldn't get NEAR that gym, because all the young actors were pumping and sweating... it's like, hey, go for it. I don't need that. I'm just gonna act.