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3 Questions with
Bruce Campbell
Ever since the loopy Western/sci-fi
series The Adventures of Brisco
County, Jr. was unfairly axed in 1994, admirers of B-movie
king Bruce Campbell—also known as Ash in the Evil Dead
trilogy--have been waiting for the square-jawed funnyman to star
in another TV series. Sure, Campbell livened up both Xena:
Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
But fans yearning for wall-to-wall Bruce have had to wait until
now to see their prayers. Campbell stars in the swashbuckling
comedy/adventure Jack of All Trades, which is being paired
with campy sci-fi spoof Cleopatra 2525 as the "Back
2 Back Action" hour that was created to fill the syndicated
TV time slot that was vacated by Hercules in the fall.
Campbell plays Jack Stiles, a swaggering American spy dispatched
to the East Indies by President Thomas Jefferson who teams up
with a beautiful British secret agent to halt Napoleon's advances
in the region. Campbell, who also serves as the series' co-executive
producer, recently gave CINESCAPE an update on the show from
its New Zealand set.
Cinescape: Did you play any
role in developing the series?
Bruce Campbell: I lobbied for Jack to be American and
to get the groovy writers that I knew could be trusted to deliver
the goods. Beyond that, I'm just doing my thing as actor-boy
to make sure the tone is right - irreverent, but not annoying.
Is the character of Jack at
all similar to Autolycus?
Sure, but he's on the right side
of the law. Jack is the ultimate hybrid of every character I've
ever played. Jack falls under the "likable rogue" category,
but there's a dash more hero than normal. He's a blowhard, but
he can almost back it up and he always comes through in the end,
but just barely.
You've written and directed
some installments of both Xena and Hercules. Do
you have any plans to direct a few episodes of Jack of All
Trades yourself?
No, because I'm in every scene
of every episode so far - as a director, I would have no time
to prep. Besides, I've got my hands pretty full as it is.
There’ s more to come
from Bruce next week.
NEXT FEATURE:
3
Questions With Glen Morgan |