Bruce Campbell and his wife, Ida Gearon, join the Exchange to discuss their upcoming new film "Ernie & Emma," which was shot entirely in Oregon.
ABOUT THE PRODUCERS: IN THER OWN WORDS
Bruce Campbell and Ida Gearon have cultivated a lasting partnership that seamlessly intertwines their personal and professional lives. Meeting in 1990 and marrying just a year later, this dynamic duo has been collaborating for over three decades. Their creative portfolio comprises nearly a dozen projects, with highlights including the bestselling book, "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way," B-Movie classics "Mindwarp," "My Name is Bruce," "Running Time," and the fan-favorite "Army of Darkness."
The relationship between Bruce and Ida is characterized by mutual respect and a shared passion for storytelling, making for a healthy, albeit sometimes combative, professional dynamic.
While past projects took Bruce and Ida far from home, their latest venture, "Ernie and Emma," represents the first project they have not only produced together, but they were able to film it right where they live in Southern Oregon.
FILM SYNOPSIS
Ernie and Emma is a poignant tale about Ernie Tyler, a small-town pear salesman, and the journey he embarks on following the death of his beloved wife, Emma. After 25 years as an executive secretary, Emma leaves behind a detailed list of instructions regarding her ashes, which leads Ernie on a journey of challenging and reflective escapades. As Ernie navigates the road trip of their lives, Emma helps him confront his grief and encourages him to move forward, transforming his life in the process.
BRUCE CAMPBELL EXPLAINS THE PRODUCTION PROCESS:
"Ernie and Emma" represents a return to truly independent filmmaking. I refer to it as "crawling back into the womb," because this is the first time since the original "Evil Dead," where I've made a movie entirely outside the studio system. What independent movies lack in budget, they gain in a singular vision, with creative decisions slaving to the story, not the marketing department. I think audiences can feel the difference between a film made by committee and one made by a handful of likeminded individuals. Quirky stories with odd-ball characters appeal to me and independent films are more likely to embrace these characteristics. I love working with people that I know, plain and simple. This familiarity allows for a shorthand in communication and makes a challenging process way more enjoyable. To that end, Ernie and Emma is my version of "getting the band back together," collaborating with creative pals, some of whom who go all the way back to "Evil Dead."
Over the years, I've shot in far-flung locations - Costa Rica, Columbia, Bulgaria, New Zealand - and while those experiences were enriching, they weren't entirely necessary.
Movies are often shot in distant locations simply because the host country offers a better tax rebate, or exchange rate, or cheaper crews, which tends to serve the budget more than the project itself. By producing "Ernie and Emma" independent of studio obligations, we were able to film in actual Oregon locations, at the ideal time of year (Oregon is beautiful in June!), with local acting talent. On top of that, I got to sleep in my own bed making a movie - something I hadn't done in decades!
BRUCE CAMPBELL BIO
In 1979, with his Detroit friends, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell raised $350,000 for a low-budget film, "Evil Dead," in which he starred and co-executive produced. At its appearance at Cannes, Stephen King dubbed "Evil Dead" ... “the most ferociously original horror film of the year.”
Forty-four years later, Campbell co-produced "Evil Dead Rise," the most successful film in the storied cult franchise, which now spans 5 features, video games, comics and a TV series.
After Evil Dead, Bruce quickly gained a foothold appearing in genre films such as the Maniac Cop series, John Carpenter's Escape From LA and MGM's cult sleeper Bubba Ho-tep. Bruce followed these up with memorable roles in the Coen brothers' "The Hudsucker Proxy," the fun-filled Disney hit, "Sky High" and all three of Sam Raimi's epic Spider-Man movies.
Bruce made his foray into television, first starring in the highly touted Fox series "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.," then helming episodes and recurring as the King of Thieves in the #1 syndicated Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and its follow-up phenomenon, Xena: Warrior Princess.
Bruce expanded his range on television, appearing in the acclaimed series Homicide: Life on the Street, The X-Files, then an impressive seven-year run on the spy show Burn Notice - USA’s #1 program on cable. Bruce’s work on television continues to branch out, with starring roles in One December Night and A Southern Family Christmas for the Hallmark Channel.
In the multi-media industry, Bruce did voice work on the popular Spider-Man, Evil Dead and Call of Duty video games, Disney’s animated TV series Tangled, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Cars 2 and he is currently lending his voice to Amazon’s acclaimed adult superhero series, Invincible.
Bruce has also recently enjoyed hosting – a revival of Ripley’s Believe it or Not for the Travel channel, Discontinued on Amazon and Last Fan Standing, a “Game show for Geeks,” which recently enjoyed a sold-out 20-city live tour. Practicing what he calls “job rotation,” Bruce also enjoys his role as an author, with three New York Times bestsellers under his belt - a memoir entitled If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, the sequel, Hail to the Chin and his first novel, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way.
Campbell continues to share his acting and filmmaking experiences by lecturing at universities, including Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford. He currently resides with his wife, Ida Gearon, in southern Oregon.
