Bruce Campbell is stepping away from the traditional studio system for his latest project, an independent film he wrote, directed, produced and stars in alongside his wife and longtime partner, Ida Gearon. The actor said the decision was shaped by an early career experience in which a studio removed him from a lead role.
«The first studio film I ever did, I got kicked out of the lead,» Campbell said. «The movie was re-edited, retitled and never came out. So, the taste in my mouth from studios is very sour.»
The film, titled «Ernie & Emma,» marks a sharp departure from the horror and action roles that made Campbell a genre icon. It follows Ernie Tyler, a small-town pear salesman who embarks on a road trip through Pear Valley, Oregon, after his beloved wife, Emma, dies. Emma leaves him a detailed list of instructions for scattering her ashes, sending him on a journey through grief, love and the possibility of starting over.
Campbell said the project fulfilled a long-held ambition to work without studio executives calling the shots. «It was time to be unbridled in my life,» he said. He recalled that Gearon pushed him to stop talking about the idea and make it happen. «I wanted to do something like this for a long time, and my wife finally said, ‘Quit talking about it. Let's do it. Let's pull the trigger. Let's make this movie,'» he said.
The actor has described creative freedom as essential, particularly for artists who depend on outside financing. «Creative freedom is absolutely everything,» Campbell said. «If you consider yourself an artiste, or you're in the arts, the only way that artists have to deal with people, outside of themselves, is to go look for money.»
For Campbell, the independent production echoes the experience of his earliest film, «The Evil Dead,» which he said was the only other movie he had made free and clear of the studio system. «So, I liked the taste of it early on,» he said.
Campbell and Gearon filmed «Ernie & Emma» entirely in southern Oregon, turning their home state into the backdrop for the story and their own lives into an unconventional production setup. Gearon, a longtime costume designer, encouraged Campbell to keep the shoot close to home. «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. «And so, I did, and it was a very bizarre experience, but I'll never go back now.»
He also said the collaboration brought an unexpected benefit. «Best part of working with my wife was that, for once, we didn't argue,» Campbell said. «We argue a lot and when we made the movie we never argued once because we had a singular goal, singular vision.»
After more than three decades together, Campbell described his relationship with Gearon as deeper than romance. «Boy, my wife, she is rock solid. She's a good human being from A to Z. I trust her,» he said. «The other day we said to each other, we've been together so long we're actually family now.»
The decision to work independently carries additional weight following Campbell's cancer diagnosis, which he disclosed in March. He said earlier this month on «The Adam Carolla Show» podcast that doctors had given him an estimated five years to live, but he remains focused on treatment and continuing his work.
Campbell is taking «Ernie & Emma» on the road with a nationwide screening tour at Alamo Drafthouse locations, following earlier sold-out screenings at independent theaters.