Bruce Campbell's portrayal of Ash in the Evil Dead franchise is straight-up iconic — but
what made him miserable while making those first movies?
Why did he come back?
And could he really be done with the role forever?
Keep watching to find out.
Few actors have committed harder to their roles than Bruce Campbell.
"The Chin" spent close to 40 years playing Ash Williams in the Evil Dead franchise, going
back to the very first movie in 1981.
In the years that came after, he reprised the role in a pair of film sequels, voiced
him in video games, starred in three seasons of the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead, and even
popped in for a post-credits cameo in 2013's Evil Dead reboot.
Like all good things, however, Campbell can't wield his boomstick forever, and he has now
made it clear he's done bringing the character to life.
Campbell didn't wait to break the news, either, taking to social media to state he had "retired
as Ash" shortly before the Ash vs Evil Dead series finale aired in 2018.
He has elaborated on his reasons for doing so since then, telling Collider in 2021:
"Whatever the cliched phrase is, I left it all on the table.
I've got nothing left to give."
It all began with Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, a no-budget horror movie that Raimi, Campbell,
and their longtime producer Rob Tapert bent over backwards to finance.
Things didn't get any easier after that, either, with filming taking place in a rundown cabin
miles from civilization in the Tennessee woods.
Describing the experience, Campbell said:
"From the beginning to the end — they were all low points.
You were in a cabin that had not been occupied in decades, and had no power [or] running
water; no sewage; no nothing.
It was kind of like camping out for 12 weeks, but meanwhile you're trying to do a movie.
[...] We were miserable all day long."
Thanks to the film's success, Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert were able to secure proper funding
and resources when they reunited for the sequel, Evil Dead II, in 1987.
But even more so than in the first movie, Raimi delighted in tormenting Campbell by
subjecting Ash to all sorts of Deadite-related mishaps. Campbell took it all like the champ
he is, too, no matter how tiring or gooey the stunt was.
That remained the case in, by far, the most comedic of the Evil Dead films — 1992's
Army of Darkness.
"Hail to the king, baby."
Raimi's movie basically turns Ash into a Looney Tunes character, although the barometer would
later shift closer to horror in Ash vs Evil Dead, a series set years after Army of Darkness.
This series also features some of the grossest human-vs-Deadite battles in the entire franchise.
Campbell's enduring appeal as Ash lies with his ability to retain his swagger and shake
off whatever nastiness the Necronomicon throws his way, no matter how painful or disgusting.
At the same time, this makes the role incredibly physically demanding to play.
Campbell admitted this really caught up to him during filming on Ash vs Evil Dead, referring
to his three seasons on the show as "the longest seasons of [his] life."
Yet, for all the wear and tear they took on his body, he never let it show in his performance,
always being quick to recover, flash a cocky grin, and dive back into the fray of things.
For similar reasons, a lot of people had a hard time picturing the Evil Dead films carrying
on without Campbell during the 20-year break between Army of Darkness and Fede Álvarez's
Evil Dead reboot in 2013.
The latter was not as beloved as Raimi's original movie, but still managed to convince a lot
of people the horror property could thrive without its groovy hero.
This will once again be put to the test with Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise, the latest film
set in the Evil Dead universe.
Campbell, for his part, isn't worried, saying "there are more [Evil Dead] stories" to tell
that don't involve Ash.
After four decades of duking it out with the gnarliest demonic creatures around, he's certainly
earned a rest.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Slashfilm videos about your favorite movie series are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.