After playing Kelly Maxwell in ASH VS EVIL DEAD for three sensational seasons, DANA DELORENZO has gone on to establish a new fan-favourite character within the legendary horror franchise. With the upcoming release of EVIL DEAD: THE GAME, this now-iconic hero has been pulled back in for another round of carnage and explicit language! STARBURST caught up with Dana to find out what it was like to return as Kelly in a video game setting, the evolution of this ever-expanding mythology, and why EVIL DEAD: THE GAME is going to be an absolute ‘must-play’…
STARBURST: Looking back on Ash vs Evil Dead, why do you think it went on to become both a huge hit for existing fans and newcomers alike?
Dana DeLorenzo: To answer the first part, I learned straight away that this show was a bloody love letter to the fans. From the get-go, from day one – sitting there with Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Rob Tapert, and the showrunner for Seasons One and Two, Craig DiGregorio. This had been such a long time coming, as Sam and Bruce put it, and the fans were clamouring for this for thirty years. So I think the build-up of it, to be able to have the creators of a franchise from thirty years ago – well, now we’re in the 40th anniversary of it, actually – all still involved, and to have the lead actor reprise a role that he played all those decades ago, that’s remarkable! Then I think, everything we did, everything the crew did, the attention to detail, the stories, the Easter eggs, the amount of blood-letting, every single thing! It was all done with the lifelong fans in mind, but also, what I think was really special, and hard to do, was they didn’t ostracise people who were about to discover the show – even if they’d never seen an Evil Dead movie. It brought in a whole new fanbase. I meet fans all the time, I’ve been doing some conventions, and I meet so many of them that say, “I discovered this show during the pandemic!” I tend to ask them what their favourite movie is from the franchise, and some of them say, “Well, actually I saw the TV show first“, and I love that. I think that’s why, because it was done with a lot of love, a lot of passion, and a lot of thought. Everyone who was a part of it was so passionate about it.
When did you first hear about the idea for Evil Dead: The Game, and how excited were you to return as Kelly Maxwell?
I wasn’t privy to the information of the original idea, but I know it had been talked about for a while. I learned in this process that with video games, at least with ones that are based on a show or a film, they don’t necessarily have to use the actors that originated the role. In fact, there have been cases where they’ve used someone else to play that role. As a former video game nerd, it was a dream come true to voice a character in a game. If I could tell my younger self that I was going to do that someday, I think my head would have promptly exploded! But also, the real special joy was that they got all of us back. Bruce, and Ray [Santiago] and I, all of the other actors. I was so giddy at getting the chance to slip back into Kelly Maxwell’s purple leather jacket, so to speak.
Kelly went through a lot in Ash vs Evil Dead! How did you approach playing her on this occasion, and was there anything new at all that you got to bring to the character?
Based on the sound effects I had to make, the grunts, the battle-cries, the punch noises, and kicks, and screams… there’s going to be a lot of fighting in this video game! For those people playing Kelly Maxwell, if you’re not on your A-game, bringing it like she did, then you too will know virtually what it feels like to get your ass kicked! The writer and director were there over Zoom, because we were still recording in the pandemic, and they were so wonderful and collaborative, just like it was on set while we were shooting Ash vs Evil Dead. Ahead of time, they took quite a bit of my input, which was so great. Then the writer and director on the day were also open to anything that came to mind. Once I slipped back into Kelly’s shoes, the F-bombs were frequent! That tends to happen when I play her. I hope I brought the same thing that I always try to bring, which was her passion, her courage, and her relentless need for revenge, but also some of that humour and sarcastic ball-busting that Kelly does so well.
With the show putting you through a heavy amount of action and some very gruesome situations, how interesting was it for you as an actor to step back and focus on getting into character through her voice only?
I think I had muscle memory, because I was having phantom feelings of getting blood and guts thrown on my face and choking on it! It was a very interesting sensation – it was phantom blood! Muscle memory really helped me during this process. I would say 75% of the time when I was getting covered in blood, or where I was terrified, there wasn’t any acting; that was just me reacting to the terrifying-looking Deadite standing in front of me. They are so much more terrifying in person! Really, when you see those wide eyes up close, oh goodness! Anyway, I started to push it a little bit when I was recording the video game, to try and get back into it, because there’s no other actors in the booth with you, there was nothing to go off except a microphone and the words on the page. But the game was so well done, the things I was doing and saying, and the storyline, that it was very easy to get back into it. It shocked me. You really never forget what it’s like to be covered in fake blood and have it get in your eyes, every orifice of your body, and then five minutes later turn into a hard wax and literally rip your skin and hair out. That’s a whole other experience. However, the genius behind it – which is why I think that it’s a blood conspiracy – is that you beg to be covered in more blood. Constantly, because it keeps it wet. I think it was Sam Raimi’s master plan all along!
Over the course of the original movie trilogy, it was easy to just look at Evil Dead through the eyes of Bruce Campbell, but because of Ash vs Evil Dead, and now Evil Dead: The Game, people are really starting to see that world through more characters’ perspectives…
Yeah, I think any time you add on to something, there’s definitely going to be more interesting layers. Ash Williams is a father! Who would have ever seen that one coming?! Even though he is kind of a dum-dum when it comes to fatherhood, his daughter Brandy [Arielle Carver-O’Neill] is pretty great when it comes to following in his footsteps. So, I think what was so special for me as both a fan and as someone who got to be a part of that experience, was to see how we all elaborated on what was set into place. Like with the Ruby Knowby storyline, with Lucy Lawless, and just expanding on all of those things, and then bringing back characters like Cheryl and Henrietta. I loved the elements that we got to add and expand upon, like seeing Lee Majors as Ash’s dad, Brock Williams, was so fantastic. Seeing Michelle Hurd as Linda and Ted Raimi getting to play Chet. Then, of course, I hope the Ghost Beaters, Kelly and Pablo, added a little something too.
They sure did! Going by the trailer for Evil Dead: The Game alone, there seems to be a big focus on cooperative gameplay; how fun will this be for gamers, and why do you think this style of gameplay will work so well with Evil Dead characters?
It works well for the characters, because they all have their own personality. With other people you could be playing as Ash one day, and as Kelly on another day, and then anyone from the franchise. I like how it brings this element of teamwork – having to have each other’s back. With every single one of the films, except for maybe Army of Darkness, I suppose, they all start with everybody trying to do their part, and then one by one, they all seem to disappear!
There’s been a fair amount of Evil Dead video games over the years; how would you say that Evil Dead: The Game compares or stands out over what’s come before?
First and foremost, it’s all of the actors playing and voicing the characters, which I think makes anything more authentic. I think because this was such a long time coming, too. I know how much painstaking work has gone into it on the tech side of things. I don’t profess to know how hard it is, but I can imagine how hard it is! They pushed the release date back to 2022 because a lot of fans were asking about player vs player, and they wanted to add that in there. That takes a little more time to adjust. I think that’s a great sign, and that’s what’s going to separate it from the rest – so much thought and effort has gone into this, so much passion, and so much attention to detail, in the same way that the series had. So that alone is going to set it apart from anything that came before.
How much influence did you have on the look of Kelly Maxwell in Ash vs Evil Dead, and what was it like to see that go on and transcend into a video game?
It was a little mind-blowing. It was a lot of mind-blowing, actually! I got to see early renditions, but I never really saw the character in motion. I’m still in awe and beyond grateful that I got to be a part of Ash vs Evil Dead – I thank lifelong fans for giving me my dream job, because you pestered Bruce and Sam for so many years to make another Evil Dead. It’s the same thing with Evil Dead: The Game now, where I can’t even believe that I get to have this character that I helped create with the people behind the scenes. It was a collaboration between me and our brilliant wardrobe designer Barbara Darragh. Those purple leather jackets, and the colour purple that Kelly wears every episode, that was our wardrobe designer’s idea. As Ash was always in his uniform, we would always have Kelly be in a colour, and it was the same for Pablo, too. Like a superhero colour, almost. So, we could change outfits, but we’d still have our signature superhero colour. I was like, “How about purple?” and it stuck. I got to help formulate who Kelly was on screen, but also I’m giving all of the credit to the wardrobe department, the hair and makeup, and everybody who then brought something to it. It took a village to create this character, but it’s one that I’m so proud of. So to then see this manifestation of this character in a video game, I don’t even have the words. It’s just really cool. I’m very enamoured with the whole thing. I’m so grateful. I’m so happy that the fans are as passionate as they are, because it’s the only reason that I’m getting to experience any of this; it’s because of you guys. Honestly, I can’t thank the fans enough for keeping this alive for me, and for everybody!
EVIL DEAD: THE GAME is released May 13th on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
[The full interview with Dana DeLorenzo was first published in the December 2021 edition of STARBURST MAGAZINE #476. We have a limited stock of back-issues available in our store HERE.]
