I’ve already commented in this space that Bruce Campbell is one of my three favorite actors (look him up on imdb if you don’t know him). This month he makes his third appearance in the “Spiderman” movies, directed by his old friend Sam Raimi. He’s hysterical.
He’s also appearing in an Old Spice ad campaign as a very smarmy, hot-to-trot ladies man. Again, he’s hysterical.
Bruce and Sam met in high school and became fast friends, Bruce appearing as the assistant in Sam’s magic act and the two of them collaborating on 16mm home movies that were basically homages to the “The Three Stooges.” This unlikely Michigan duo went on to assemble a little indie horror film called “Evil Dead” that became a cult phenomenon. Since then, project by project, Sam Raimi has become a bigger and bigger director and filmmaker. His big break-out blockbuster slam-dunk success came with the first “Spiderman” movie. He has now directed the entire “Spiderman” trilogy.
Sam Raimi is now one of the most “bankable” directors in Hollywood. Like Peter Jackson after the conclusion of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, he basically has carte blanche now as he begins to pursue his next project. Not bad for a geeky high school drama nerd!
(to learn more about Sam and Bruce, read Bruce’s autobiography “If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor.”)
Campbell recently gave an interview that I daresay you can find somewhere in the YouTube universe in which he talked about how great all this success is, and what it was like to team up with Sam “Spiderman” Raimi as opposed to Sam “Evil Dead” Raimi. To paraphrase:
“When we were doing the first one, shooting the wrestling match scene, at one point Sam pulled me aside and said, ‘we’re basically doing the same stuff we were doing when we were kids, it’s just now I have all these incredible resources. But it’s the same movie.’ Now when Sam has an idea for a neat shot, instead of having to figure it all out himself, all these Hollywood professionals rush over and get to work giving him what he wants. It’s great that the guy with the ideas finally has the toys.”
Wow.
I can remember thinking once upon a time how good movie stars had it– all those resources at their disposal to help them succeed! I developed a personal theory that in an audition all the auditors are looking for is potential.
Wrong.
The fact of the matter is that in the industry very, very few people are fortunate enough to get access to great resources until they have proven, sometimes dozens of times, that they are capable of succeeding without them. This most certainly also applies to actors.
This is why a thorough study of auditioning is so vitally important to the development of a professional actor. When you can walk into an audition and demonstrate the ability to deliver the goods despite quite literally not having any resources available to you whatsoever, it sends a clear message to the auditors that you are worthy of the job. At every audition at least one and usually several actors deliver this– everyone else is left out in the cold. It’s not magic, either– actors that audition well usually have lots of experience, specific training in audition technique, or both.
If you wait around for your ship to come in, you might be waiting a real long time. Be the guy with the ideas so you can get to the toys. Finally.