Crave Online: I know you’re very careful to maintain a sort of cult following status, so are you worried that if this show gets too popular you’ll accidentally become a huge star?
Bruce Campbell: Yes, I’m terrified and as a matter of fact, I have put plans in place to sabotage the show.
Crave Online: Cool. How are you adjusting to the life in Miami?
Bruce Campbell: I’m sweating more. That’s my change. That’s what I’ve changed. I stopped shivering in Oregon and starting sweating in Miami.
Crave Online: Since so many people knew you as Ash, what’s it like to have a whole new generation of kids that only know you from Burn Notice or even as the Old Spice guy?
Bruce Campbell: It’s kind of hilarious and I think it’s very refreshing to have a guy come up and go, "Man, I had no idea who that old guy was on Burn Notice until I found out later what you had done." So it’s okay to get fans retroactively. But most important right now, Jeffrey and I want to make sure that we please the fans of the current show, and hopefully we’re doing that.
Crave Online: What are your thoughts on this season's scripts so far?
Bruce Campbell: Ain’t going to be no slumpin’. Ain’t going to be no sophomore slump, my friend. People are still finding the show and I’ve had the weirdest batch of emails from people from very odd demographics who are following the show. The DVD is coming out. USA knows that it’s a hit now so that they’re going to promote it more. We’re all behind it. We’re doing 16 episodes instead of 10 or 11. So, there’s every reason to believe in my opinion, in my ignorant opinion that we’re going to do even better this year.
Crave Online: How has series television changed since the Brisco County days?
Bruce Campbell: It hasn’t really evolved that much. They usually pick seven or eight days that you get to make your movie. You either get a support crew to shoot stunts and carnage and mayhem, or you don’t. Generally speaking, you’re shooting between six and nine pages a day, which is really fast, really aggressive. So those aspects really haven’t changed. Somebody came across these genius amounts of days to make a TV show and everyone has stuck with that. So the actual process of shooting episodic has not changed that much aside from a second camera. I’ve noticed that pretty much two cameras are now standard whereas episodic I did years ago wasn’t always as much two cameras. But mechanically it’s similar.
Crave Online: Aside from a canceled TV series, have you ever gotten any kind of burn notice in your life and how did you take it?
Bruce Campbell: Yes. The second movie that I was going to make as an actor, I was supposed to star in it. It was a movie written by the Coen Brothers of all people, called Crimewave and the assumption was that I was going to play the lead. But the word eventually came down through the studio that you can produce this movie, Bruce, but you ain’t going to be in it. Well so, you know, that was an early taste of studios and Hollywood and it left a little bit of a bitter taste, I must admit.
Crave Online: Did you ever go Michael Westen on somebody?
Bruce Campbell: You have to keep going. You have to battle on and know that sometimes personalities are involved and it’s not just you being a loser actor, you know. So you have to get a little bit of a thicker skin and have confidence in yourself.
Crave Online: Sam Raimi ended up directing that movie, so did he at least give you a cameo?
Bruce Campbell: Well, no one saw the movie, so it’s only the people who rent the movie will be able to answer that. But basically, yes. In fact, I took a larger supporting role and we expanded the supporting role. I actually probably had more fun doing this goofy supporting role than the lead guy. So it worked out fine and I’m still standing.
Crave Online: How did the people who knew you as a producer react when you started to become a well known actor?
Bruce Campbell: Well I guess it’s because I’m like a bad rash. I never go away. I just never stopped. I never left. I never gave up. That’s what happens. Jeffrey will attest to this. If you stick around long enough, you get some really good roles and you get some really lousy opportunities come up, too. But right now I think both of us can say very unequivocally that we both have excellent roles. And we’re appreciating it.
Crave Online: Why is there so much yogurt in the house?
Bruce Campbell: There are some things that have been added to the fridge. I’m going to say that because Sam hangs out there a lot. So pickles have been added and there may be hard boiled eggs coming up sometime later this year.
Crave Online: How drastic is the difference between Miami and Oregon?
Bruce Campbell: It’s far too hot and I’m dying. Thank you for the question. You know what it is? My skin loves it. My face cracks into a million pieces in Oregon because it’s so dry and I come here, so my skin loves it. But the costume department, they give me dirty looks every day because I sweat through three or four outfits a day. I won’t go into more detail because it’s too offensive.
Crave Online: Do you think Sam needs a more solid relationship?
Bruce Campbell: I think Sam just needs some action. I think it’s been really fun working with Audrey Landers and we’re going to see where that gets taken a little bit in Season Two. We’re going to get a little more of that. But then Sam, he may be in a position to bust out again. You never know. That’s all I can say without killing you all.
Crave Online: Is this role helping you at all with the ladies or are you getting like more and more fans who are older women?
Bruce Campbell: No, I’m not getting anything here in Miami. My wife is a very good ally in that respect. I don’t need to go method here. So everything is all under control here in Miami. I’m just standing back in awe of Mr. Donovan.
Crave Online: You have a drinking scene with Sharon Gless coming up. Have you two been hitting the bottle as research?
Bruce Campbell: Well, we are both method actors and let’s just leave it at that. No, I think what’s been fun is that, with any show you’re going to have to get all these characters working together. So I’ve got some upcoming stuff. In fact, we shot a bunch of stuff yesterday with Sharon and it’s really fun just to see the different dynamics between the characters. And Sam is stuck with Fi more this year as well, as well as Michael. So then I think we’re sort of spreading the love and it’s really fun to work with all the other actors. And Sharon is one of the great TV icons, so there’s nothing wrong with that.
Crave Online: What is your favorite thing about playing Sam?
Bruce Campbell: Well, I have to say I’ve always been a fan of flawed characters and I think Burn Notice is a big bag of damaged goods, but we’re helping the little person now that you have all these people who have had these strange and intense backgrounds and now we’re back into civilization and trying to assimilate. Hopefully that’s kind of the fun of the show, but I appreciate we get a little bit of latitude. The writers have been really good with us and I think they’ve studied what our strengths and weaknesses are. So for the grind of television, it’s been a very enjoyable experience.
Crave Online: How would you sell the show for somebody who hasn’t tuned in yet?
Bruce Campbell: My feeling is the show is gaining popularity because of what it is not. I think it is a very unique show that can basically not be compared to anything on television. I think that’s so refreshing and not to disparage any of the cop, doctor, lawyer shows, but enough is enough. So hopefully we can be a bit of fresh air out there.
Crave Online: Has the second season been any easier because of the success of season one?
Bruce Campbell: I feel the second season has been easier because everybody knows everybody. You know the crew and the guests, who is doing what. You know the writers. They know you. We’re not trying to guess if we should do something specific to make this show a success. There’s no more second guessing. Now we’re just working.
Crave Online: Since most of the female characters make Michael's life a living hell, does that make Sam even more crucial?
Bruce Campbell: Oh, well Sam is, of course, integral to Burn Notice. I think it’s always good to have buddies. If you don’t have a second person, it’s hard to have dialogue. So Sam is handy for explaining missions and chewing the fat with Michael and kicking ideas around. Hopefully the loyalty issue is solved now. Sam’s in to win.
Crave Online: Was it easy for you to wait and find TV roles that you liked rather than just take jobs to be doing work?
Bruce Campbell: I’ve tried not to take jobs just to do work because I feel that puts me in a terrible situation. I hadn’t done television since 2000 so it took a lot to kind of drag me back into what is a challenging format of entertainment. A one hour episodic is the hardest gig in show business and Jeffrey Donovan is carrying a big weight here. So it takes a lot for me to move entirely across the country diagonally and work. I’m really glad I made the decision to get involved in this show because it hasn’t let me down as an actor or as a person. The people that they got are all very serious, committed actors so there’s no yahoos in the bunch. It really makes the day go a lot easier.
Crave Online: Are you doing anything differently this season?
Bruce Campbell: A new brand of beer this season. Yeah, we’re going for that. You know what? I think same thing. The characters are getting rounded out a little more. Sam, we’ll see him dating and things like that. So we’ll see him put in awkward and clumsy situations, but he won’t be quite so glib all the time. I think the same thing, just trying to flesh these characters out, making them more complete characters.
Crave Online: Was Sam harder to connect to than other characters you've played?
Bruce Campbell: Honestly, in Oregon I shave every four days anyway, so this was pretty good of a connection. I had to shed a lot of clothing, a lot of clothing. I came here pasty and white, and blinking from the sun, and had to roast myself like a turkey on a stick. That’s because he’s got to be that guy, that golden beach boy, so I’ve been kind of just going native here, wearing Cuban shirts and flip-flops and people in Oregon would walk right past me. They wouldn’t even recognize me. But the character of Sam, let’s face it, he’s not the tidiest guy, so it’s not that hard to roll out of bed and show up in front of the camera, I’m sorry to say.
Crave Online: Did you have to audition for this or did they just offer it?
Bruce Campbell: The role was offered and I just did some research of who was involved and what their dealio was because in television you’re kind of trapped in an airless box, working very closely together with these people and if the dynamics aren’t right it can be a very trying situation. So I just did enough research, find out a little bit about this Donovan guy. My research, I think was successful in that it led me to the right direction and the right decision because I chose this show because of its unique nature. What I also like about it, there’s a retro feel to this show. There’s a weird classic feel to it. It’s a little bit iconic. I like this show. I’m a fan of this show because I like the nature of it. It’s not bitter. It’s not jaded. Little Billy is going to get his medicine every week and I think it’s awesome. It’s a show that gives you hope and what else does a TV viewer need other than TiVo?
Crave Online: Did you have to do a back flip to get the part?
Bruce Campbell: I didn’t have to do a back flip for this, no. I had to do other things that I can’t say.
Crave Online: Have you ever read any of your comic book appearances?
Bruce Campbell: Oh, the Army of Darkness one? Well, send me a nickel for every one that you see and I’ll be done with show business. I don’t know. I don’t know how that happens. I think I do have a face that’s pretty generic in that if you’re describing hero-types with their dark hair and I’m described with my lantern jaw and stuff like that, then hey you’re going to use that as a model. But I don’t think it’s necessarily my face as a model so much as it’s an archetype.
Crave Online: What do you do when you're hanging out off the set?
Bruce Campbell: For the most part, other than weekends, I would venture to say that there’s not a whole lot going on in the evenings because, look, it’s TV. You got to kind of pretend like you’re alert in front of the camera. You can’t be going nuts the whole time. But I have to say by being in Miami, I think Jeffrey and I have both taken advantage of being in Miami. South Beach is a really fun place. We’ve both had a lot of fun in South Beach, in clubs and restaurants, and bars. And I’ve gone out on boats. Jeffrey is a boat lover and a scuba diver. So I think we’ve actually just embraced it as tourists, as well so on weekends I’m like hey where can we go? I’ve been in the Everglades and I wouldn’t have done that if I was still up in Oregon.
Crave Online: Do you have any cool movie cameos coming up?
Bruce Campbell: No, but I have an actual movie called My Name is Bruce coming out this fall.
Crave Online: You directed that one, right?
Bruce Campbell: Yes, I’m even in it, too, in more than a cameo. I have to prove to the world that I can memorize more than seven lines of dialogue at a time.
Crave Online: Can you give us a little preview of that and how you like directing?
Bruce Campbell: Well, it was very difficult directing myself because I got in raging arguments with myself all day long. As you know, I’m very difficult. So that’s really the biggest trouble. Next time I’m going to do the sequel without Bruce.
Crave Online: Is Bubba Nosferatu dead, or was the whole suggestion of that just a goof?
Bruce Campbell: Well, it’s a bit of a tease but I must say that the truth of the matter is I couldn’t come to an agreement with the filmmaker about what type of film we wanted to make so we felt it was best, rather than jeopardize what I consider to be a good friendship, we let it go. So it fell apart and I don’t think it’ll come back together again.
