Great! I sat down with the legend at New York Comic Con 2024 Bruce Campbell, He talks about his role as Sheriff Dandridge in Peacock’s new drama Hysteria! The Beat interviewed him earlier at SDCC about the series, but below is the full NYCC interview with Bruce Campbell and the confirmed rumors surrounding the Evil Dead animated series.
Interview by Bruce Campbell at SDCC 2024
Q: What attracted you to the script?
Bruce Campbell: writing.
Q: So what?
Campbell: This isn’t bad.
See, it’s that simple. I’ve made a lot of really bad movies, but they always point to the script. At one point, a writer said that his dialogue was actor-proven and so good that no actor could screw it up. I’m like no no no, with such bad dialogue, no actor can talk your crap.
Some writers feel that their words are precious, but they are not. Very few writers have a clause whereby actors cannot change their lines. I’ve been pushed hard by some writers who didn’t deserve it. So writing is very important to me. If this were a horror project, I would ask more questions.
Peacock is a great studio and Universe is a horror studio, they always have been. So even if they don’t remember me, I will remember them. I did “Hercules” and “Xena” with Universal Pictures. Burn Notice with America. So I hung out with these assholes for a long time. It’s important because when people come and say come and be in my film black fridaya completely independent, privately funded project where you never know if anyone will see it.
My wife is great at pointing this out.
Q: She helps you at the vet?
Campbell: Oh yes. She is cruel.
Q: So do you care about your legacy?
Campbell: No, that’s for experts. I don’t curate my own legacy. I just try to make sure there are no bad photos out there.
Q: Do you remember the Satanic Panic of the 1980s?
Campbell: To some extent. If I were a musician, I would be more aware that they bear the brunt of it. The music is very hardcore. Satanic. I just learned today that AC/DC means: Antichrist, Sons of the Devil. KISS is a knight who serves Satan.
Q: Is there anyone on the margins of your life who has experienced more of this?
Campbell: No, here’s the thing: I’ve read about it. The reporter did an in-depth investigation. All these cases come up and whoever tries to prosecute these people, Satan’s this and Satan’s sacrifice, they don’t find shit on anyone. Let me tell you how bad this is and that disinformation is not new. Since then they have had the word: yellow journalism. Bullshit news.
Look, if you’re a very religious person, even today, if you say the devil is real and it’s coming to you, they don’t like that conversation. This is true even in fictional worlds. Because you are challenging their fundamental beliefs about their entire existence.
Q: Can you briefly introduce your role in the play?
Campbell: My character is trying to figure out if it’s real. He is a very rational person. I’m playing the police chief that people want, and I want him to be my police chief.
Q: So he’s healthier than your traditional Ash Ketchum type character?
Campbell: Yeah, but look that’s not Ash. I’m an actor. They gave me certain words and I said them. I didn’t have to let Ash play my part. That’s the trick. As an actor, be invisible and blend in. I don’t incorporate bluesism into my work every day. If the director wants to mess with it, that’s fine, but if it’s straightforward, I’ll be straightforward because that’s what it needs to be. You need someone to be the voice of reason. You need Marilyn from the Manson Family, you have to have someone trying to get their shit together.
Q: Some would say you are the heart of the show.
Campbell: Exactly. I like this word. Thank you. Print that!
Q: Kind of like the Sheriff from Stranger Things? reasonable. Smart. instead of…
Campbell: Worse than a fool talking nonsense? Here’s the thing, he’s not a fool. He also doesn’t treat teenagers condescendingly. He said, “Man, tell me what happened? What on earth did you carve a pentagram on your hand – wow – tell me? What made you do that?
Q: He was determined, but also kind.
Campbell: Absolutely. I think it’s more important that police get a bad rap. We have been working with the police on burn notices for 7 years. Have a great time. There was a man, we called him Taser Tom, because he loved teasing men, because he loved watching them pee, which was a power trip, no matter what, we got to know them as humans. There’s something wrong with this guy. He’s sick, he’s having problems at home with his wife, his dog hates him – same thing. Great to see.
So when I see a script like this, it shows that there’s some intelligence involved in the writing process, and that’s all I ask for. Just put on your thinking cap. Figure out my character. Don’t let my lines be interchanged with anyone else’s. It should be important to write with focus.
Q: Bruce, I’ve heard rumors about the Evil Dead animated show, can you shed some light on it?
Campbell: This isn’t even a rumor. We talked about it, but the development process takes a long time and is slow and stalled, so there’s nothing to report, but we’d like to.
Q: Would you like to play your character again?
Campbell: certainly. Like sound. My voice isn’t that old yet, so I’m definitely going to be in the studio in a small town in Oregon.
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