Highlights
- Bruce Campbell says he was “kicked out” of the lead role in his first studio film
- The Evil Dead star says the experience left him with a “very sour” taste towards Hollywood studios
- Campbell wrote, directed, produced and stars in independent film Ernie & Emma
- The film was made in Oregon with his wife and longtime partner, Ida Gearon
- Campbell says creative freedom was a major reason for making the project independently
Bruce Campbell has opened up about an early Hollywood experience that left him with a lasting distrust of the studio system.
The Evil Dead star said he was “kicked out” of the lead role in the first studio film he ever worked on. According to Campbell, the film was later re-edited, retitled and never released.
“The taste in my mouth from studios is very sour,” Campbell told Fox News Digital.
The experience stayed with the actor and helped shape his decision to take complete creative control of his latest project, Ernie & Emma.
Why did Bruce Campbell turn away from Hollywood studios?
Campbell said he had wanted to make a film without studio executives controlling the creative process for a long time.
“It was time to be unbridled in my life,” he said.
The actor compared the experience with his earliest work on The Evil Dead, which he said was made free from the studio system.
“The very first movie we did, ‘Evil Dead,’ was the only other movie I've ever done free and clear of the studio system,” Campbell said.
He added that he enjoyed having that freedom early in his career and wanted to experience it again.
For Ernie & Emma, Campbell took on several roles, serving as writer, director, producer and lead actor.
What is Ernie & Emma about?
The film follows Ernie Tyler, a small-town pear salesman from Pear Valley, Oregon, whose life changes after the death of his wife, Emma.
Emma leaves Ernie a detailed list of instructions for scattering her ashes, sending him on a road trip through Oregon.
The story explores grief, love and the possibility of starting over as Ernie follows the unusual instructions left behind by his wife.
Campbell and Gearon filmed the project entirely in southern Oregon, allowing the actor to work close to home rather than travelling for a traditional studio production.
Gearon, who has worked as a costume designer, encouraged Campbell to shoot the film in their home state.
“She goes, ‘Bruce, we should shoot in Oregon. You should sleep in your own bed. You should [be having lunch] at the house,’” Campbell recalled.
Campbell said the experience changed his view of filmmaking and that he would not want to return to the old way of working.
What did Bruce Campbell say about working with his wife?
Campbell also credited Gearon with helping him bring the project together.
The couple have been together for more than three decades, and Campbell said working towards the same creative goal brought them closer during production.
“Best part of working with my wife was that, for once, we didn't argue,” he said.
He explained that although they argue often, making the film was different because they shared a “singular goal” and “singular vision”.
Campbell also described his wife as someone he deeply trusts, saying their relationship had evolved beyond romance.
“The other day we said to each other, we've been together so long we're actually family now,” he said.
Ernie & Emma is now being taken on a nationwide screening tour at Alamo Drafthouse locations, following earlier sold-out screenings at independent theatres.
