Bruce Campbell Walks Out of the Woods for Burn Notice Season 3 by Troy Rogers
After two successful seasons of Burn Notice, the Miami set spy series makes its return to the USA Network airwaves on January 22. Back on the job as lead character Michael Weston's semi-retired double agent Sam Axe, cult legend Bruce Campbell is looking forward to more fun in the sun with actors Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Sharon Gless as the Burn Notice cast readies for another season of covert ops, with a few new suprises and the return of Tricia Helfer's villainous Carla back in the fold.
With the third season premiere of Burn Notice only days away, we hopped on the line for a conference call with Bruce Campbell who filled us, and a round of press, in on the upcoming season, the slate of guest stars, why he likes to play characters like Sam, and how he feels about the season three renewal.
Bruce Campbell on whether he was surprised by the success of Burn Notice:
"I’m surprised by everything these days because you never know. My basis for accepting this script when it came across my desk was I loved the fact of what it wasn’t. It wasn’t a cop show, it wasn’t a doctor’s show, it wasn’t a lawyer show. There’s plenty of stuff that goes on, but this is basically the human side of spies and I went, right, I can get into that. And I really enjoyed the fact that it’s a good blend of a show that does have strong main characters, and not a lot of them. It’s got four main characters. And that’s what the emphasis is. And oh yes, stuff blows up and every week there is a caper where you defeat the jerk of the week. But I think it’s mostly you watch these characters from week to week, and that’s what I enjoy. And that’s what appealed to me and that’s what keeps me interested in the show is it’s not really about the explosions, it’s about the people who are doing the explosions."
Campbell and if he has a most memorable moment from the past two seasons:
"For me, I’m just convinced one day that some bystander’s going to shoot me with a gun. And the reason why I say that is because my character Sam has a rifle with a scope and often he’s up on high rises and overpasses taking potshots at people. And sometimes you can’t see the crew connected to me, because they put me sometimes far away. And Miami has a lot of guns, and so I’m just afraid some do-gooder’s going to see me up there firing away and they’re going to save Miami from that criminal. And then Burn Notice will have three main characters."
On the upcoming guest stars we can expect this season:
"In these upcoming episodes it’s pretty full on. You’ve got Patricia Helfer back as Carla. So she’s going to be causing lots and lots of trouble. Michael Shanks is back as another one of these fellow cohort guys who you’re not sure if you can trust or not. The great John Mahoney, who I worked with in the Hudsucker Proxy, John Mahoney from Cheers, he’s back as someone I can’t tell you about because I’d have to kill you. Former Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin is joining us. He’s Mr. Football, so it was kind of fun to do a football theme episode. Dina Meyer shows up as, well, let’s just say someone who perhaps was close to Michael Westen. And of course with Fiona that’s going to cause some sparks. And there will be some sparks flying in these next seven episodes, I can guarantee you."
Campbell on whether there is a revival of escapist action with Burn Notice:
"I think the reason why this show, aside from the magnetic Mr. Donovan and the wonderful Ms. Gabrielle Anwar and Sharon Gless, is the fact that it is iconic. And I don’t mean that to make the show any better than what it is. It has iconic aspects. Little Billy’s always going to get his medicine, for the most part. And it’s a show that lacks cynicism in a way. That there’s a sweet core to it of just human beings and I think anybody can connect to that. Not everyone can connect to the Bourne Identity type of spy, but I think people can identify with this Michael Westen because he’s fixing his mom’s garbage disposal when he’s not doing some covert thing. So that’s what appeals to me. And I like the fact that everyone in this show is an adult. It reminds me of shows when I was a kid. I watched Rockford Files and James Garner was an adult; he wasn’t some kid actor. And so I like the fact that this show is just geared for anyone who wants to see this type of story. It’s not geared for kids or whatever, it’s just a show that I would watch when I was in high school, too. So, I don’t know, I think that’s what appeals to me."
On the structure of the interchanging plots and his character Sam:
"There’s always going to be two things going on. One is the problem at hand, which is somebody needs help and it’s worthy enough for him to help someone in the middle of what his overlying problem is, is who is causing all these problems for this guy. And so that’s, the one is the constant, but the other one, the overall problem that he has is going to, that’s going to be ratcheted up consistently throughout the seven episodes to its final explosion point, where it’s a point of no return."
Bruce Campbell on why he likes to play flawed, often self obsessed characters:
"Because me personally. as an actor. can relate to that more so that I can - it’s just easier for me to do. I’m not good at playing someone who doesn’t have weird quirks, because I’ve never met someone who didn’t. So that’s why I tend to avoid a little bit of the traditional hero thing, and that’s what appealed to me about this show. This show is very untraditional, yet, having said that, there are traditional story elements that things are going to be made right by these people. So, I don’t know. Those types of characters have always appealed to me, hoping that they will appeal to the average garage mechanic who’s watching the show. As an actor, I want my work to be as appealing to as many people as possible."
On how Miami helps to enhance the atmosphere of Burn Notice:
"It matters, it really does. People can tell. We’re on beaches and we’re in swamps and at the edge of the everglades and running around in funky alleys and buildings, you don’t have to fake your angles. And the main difference is that by shooting there, you know, Florida is a flat state, you don’t see mountains anywhere. With CSI Miami, they’ve got to be careful because if they tilt up about 10 degrees, they’re going to be looking at the Santa Monica Mountains there. So you don’t have to fake anything. You’ve got boats left and right, anything you need saying it’s Miami, it’s there. And we’re really the main show that has stayed. Dexter left, CSI Miami left and we’re it. So we actually get great cooperation. So we get into as many cool places as you’d ever want to get into just because people are excited to have us there. So we’re really capitalizing on it. USA has kind of given us the edict of 60% of the show has to be outdoors. Because if they’re shooting in Miami, they want to see it."
As a director himself, how he feels about the style of Burn Notice:
"I think it’s very cool without being overdone. We’ve all seen movies and TV shows where you go, "Geez, give it a rest" stylistically, because it’s either too handheld or it gives you a headache or it’s over-editing. I think Burn Notice is very stylish without being obnoxious. I like the voiceover. I think it’s a very unique style. I like the freeze frames where the title comes in Joe Blow, Client. And then another one comes in, Joe Blow, Loser, or whatever. It’s just kind of fun, makes it a little cool and jazzy and freewheeling. And they also mess with the colors, too. The show’s very colorful. If you look at the ocean in any of the shots, it’s bright green or blue. The clouds are amazing, too."
On how much of himself he sees in Sam:
"Well, that’s always a tough call. Actors can’t escape their own physical being. You’re always going to see Bruce Campbell there doing whatever. I don’t drink as much as Sam does and I don’t womanize as much as Sam does, because I’ve been married for 17 years to the same woman. So, it’s always fun to just let loose. Sam is a much more relaxed character than me. I live in the Pacific Northwest and by the time I show up in Miami this March, I’m going to be white and pasty and I’m going to be squinting at the sun because it’s been raining and snowing here in the Pacific Northwest. So I’ll go back down to Miami, I’ll strip my work boots off, my jeans off, and get back into that character, get back into that - basically removing clothing. You know, I get my t-shirts off, I get my flannel shirts off and start getting back in flip flops and shorts, because I literally live at the complete opposite end of the country and it’s a huge adjustment every year. But it kind of cracks me up that people perceive me as this kind of, 'hey,' beach guy with a beer in his hand, and I’m kind of the opposite. I’m such a woodsy guy. I like mountains and streams and rivers and lakes."
Campbell on how it feels to be picked up for a third season:
"Ask yourself the same question: How would you feel? You feel good. I just learned that people like me in small doses. So whenever I’m not the star, like with Hercules & Zena, the shows run for six years, so I’m good. This show will be on the air forever because I’m not the star of it, so it worked out fine. It feels good to be part of a hit show, though, too. Honestly. The crew, any of them I think are very grateful to know these are people who work harder than any actor. They’re busting themselves 14, 16 hours a day and it’s nice to know that it’s a hit show, because sometimes you do that and the show’s a dog and it gets cancelled."
Bruce Campbell and whether we can expect to see more villains aside from Carla:
"I think I’m allowed to say very likely. Very likely. Everyone has a boss, so I think the season will prove no different, because Michael’s being manipulated by someone who might be manipulated by someone. You never know. I think the layers are going to get deeper this season and it will start to get to the point where something’s gotta give."
With the third season premiere of Burn Notice only days away, we hopped on the line for a conference call with Bruce Campbell who filled us, and a round of press, in on the upcoming season, the slate of guest stars, why he likes to play characters like Sam, and how he feels about the season three renewal.
"For me, I’m just convinced one day that some bystander’s going to shoot me with a gun. And the reason why I say that is because my character Sam has a rifle with a scope and often he’s up on high rises and overpasses taking potshots at people. And sometimes you can’t see the crew connected to me, because they put me sometimes far away. And Miami has a lot of guns, and so I’m just afraid some do-gooder’s going to see me up there firing away and they’re going to save Miami from that criminal. And then Burn Notice will have three main characters."
"There’s always going to be two things going on. One is the problem at hand, which is somebody needs help and it’s worthy enough for him to help someone in the middle of what his overlying problem is, is who is causing all these problems for this guy. And so that’s, the one is the constant, but the other one, the overall problem that he has is going to, that’s going to be ratcheted up consistently throughout the seven episodes to its final explosion point, where it’s a point of no return."
"I think it’s very cool without being overdone. We’ve all seen movies and TV shows where you go, "Geez, give it a rest" stylistically, because it’s either too handheld or it gives you a headache or it’s over-editing. I think Burn Notice is very stylish without being obnoxious. I like the voiceover. I think it’s a very unique style. I like the freeze frames where the title comes in Joe Blow, Client. And then another one comes in, Joe Blow, Loser, or whatever. It’s just kind of fun, makes it a little cool and jazzy and freewheeling. And they also mess with the colors, too. The show’s very colorful. If you look at the ocean in any of the shots, it’s bright green or blue. The clouds are amazing, too."
"Ask yourself the same question: How would you feel? You feel good. I just learned that people like me in small doses. So whenever I’m not the star, like with Hercules & Zena, the shows run for six years, so I’m good. This show will be on the air forever because I’m not the star of it, so it worked out fine. It feels good to be part of a hit show, though, too. Honestly. The crew, any of them I think are very grateful to know these are people who work harder than any actor. They’re busting themselves 14, 16 hours a day and it’s nice to know that it’s a hit show, because sometimes you do that and the show’s a dog and it gets cancelled."