Author: Emma Loggins
Date: 2008-07-10

Interview:
We had the honor of attending the Burn Notice press junket in Miami last month, where were able to interview the cast and crew from the series, including the charming and witty Bruce Campbell. Here's what he had to say:

What is, in fact, the latest and the greatest?

Campbell: You're looking at it right here. The TV show that sparked a new industry in southern Florida. I mean since we've started, things have been going crazy here. We had to kick Owen Wilson out for loitering.

What happened to the productions in Miami, cause I was...

Campbell: Well, it's coming back. I mean, it's back with a vengeance, I think. Because, for some reason, this has become a facility now. I mean, it's an old convention center and they were gonna' tear it down. And, the Burn Notice guys thought it would be a good facility to just start it from scratch. So that's what we've been doing; building a facility, at the same doing a show.

At one point it seemed like everything was shot in Miami.

Campbell: Yeah.

And then it just disappeared.

Campbell: Could be a lot of things... Insurance rules would change what a state, or what insurance companies won't cover for hurricanes, and producers get a little skittish, you know. So it's about that, it's about incentives that the state offers. So, you know, it's all about where producers can save dough and have a show that looks good.

Tell us about the character of Sam; what do you think this guy's all about?

Campbell: What is he about?

Yeah.

Campbell: He's about fifty. He like the other characters in the show, he's sort of damaged goods. Which is why I like him. I like it. I like characters with flaws. So he's a fun-loving guy, who is now by the end of the first season sort of officially loyal to the group. It was a little iffy there for a while, the first season. Cause everyone is sort of out for themselves. This is a show where you got these three strange people come together under weird circumstances and help the actor. I like characters with a past. Sam has a past. Everyone has a past. I also like the fact that these characters are adults. You know, I'm all for going to movies where they're geared for seventeen year olds, but that kind of gets boring to a guy at my age. I love the fact that America is aging. Where it's good for guys like me. I'm glad for USA, they're doing shows that are, in my opinion, more interesting from a character point of view. As an actor I'm much more drawn to shows that USA would air than, than a lot of other networks.

Sam seems to have a lot of problems in his love life, he's always complaining about...

Campbell: Yeah, well these people are good at their jobs and just bad at their personal lives. Like most actors, I mean honestly, you could have a bunch of good actors but they can't keep a relationship to save their lives. Everyone thinks it's so glamorous that Ben Affleck is sleeping with all these different chicks. It's only because he can't keep a single relationship because he's working all the time, and they're working all the time. So...

Is that why actors hook up with other actors?

Campbell: Absolutely, cause they go, "You, you're close, come here." Then you do it, "My wife hates me right now, let's go somewhere." You know, I mean, let's not get into that.

Does it make it easier to hook up with another actor, because they understand...

Campbell: Oh, sure it is. We're in the trenches together. We're sweating in Miami together. You know, only we know the pressure that we're under to succeed and make this show great. Only you know, right now, this moment, in my trailer.