Bruce Campbell is sharing a candid update on his cancer diagnosis, emphasizing that he has no intention of allowing the illness to define the way he spends his life.
The 68-year-old actor, beloved by horror fans for his long-running role as Ash Williams in the Evil Dead franchise, opened up about his health during a September 3 appearance on The Adam Carolla Show. While Campbell did not disclose the specific type of cancer he is facing, he said his current prognosis suggests he has roughly five years to live, “give or take.”
“I’ve decided though, pretty specifically, to live with it, not die from it,” Campbell told host Adam Carolla. He added that the world of cancer research, forums and support groups can quickly become overwhelming, saying, “The cancer rabbit hole is enormous. You can go into focus groups of 10,000 guys who have exactly what you have. I won’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.”
Campbell said his approach is rooted in protecting his time and mental energy rather than letting the diagnosis consume his every thought. Instead, he is focusing on the work in front of him, including promoting Ernie & Emma, the independent dramedy he wrote, directed and produced, in addition to starring in as the lead.
“I’m moving on. I got a movie to promote. And when I promote this movie, I have nothing. I’m free and clear when I promote this movie mentally,” Campbell said. “You have to make this decision of, ‘well, okay, but do I have to stop everything that I’m doing because of this?’ Well, no.”
Campbell said he feels “perfect” right now and doesn’t intend to put his life on hold because of his illness. He also acknowledged that the disease itself isn’t necessarily the only thing that concerns him.
“The cancer, it creep me out because of the ancillary stuff that it does. It’s not just, you don’t die for cancer. You die from what cancer does to you,” he continued.
You can listen to the full episode below via Spotify:
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Campbell first revealed that he was dealing with cancer in March, when he said his condition was “treatable, not curable.” He didn’t offer specifics about his diagnosis then, either, but explained that treatment would force him to step back from some of his usual professional obligations.
“I apologize if that’s a shock – it was to me. I’m not gonna go into more detail,” he wrote. “I’m posting this because professionally, a few things will have to change – appearances and cons and work in general need to take back seat to treatment.”
Even with treatment taking priority, Campbell said at the time that he was hoping to be feeling well enough by the summer to get out and promote Ernie & Emma. The movie has remained a major focus for him throughout the health battle.
“It doesn’t change anything for me,” he told the Salem Statesman Journal in March. “It makes you prioritize 100 percent, and for me, the priority is this movie.”
And Ernie & Emma is certainly personal to Campbell, who wears several hats on the project. The movie follows a small-town pear salesman who sets off on a strange and ultimately reflective journey after his wife’s death, following a detailed list of instructions for what to do with her ashes.
According to the film’s synopsis, the man’s journey takes him through a series of “challenging and reflective escapades.” For Campbell, meanwhile, the movie seems to represent exactly the kind of thing he’s choosing to put his energy into now: making something, getting it out into the world and continuing to move forward.