Bruce Campbell stars in Ash vs Evil Dead as a man with a chainsaw for an arm fighting against some truly dark forces. While his character Ash might be listed as mankind’s only hope in stopping the Deadite plague threatening to destroy the world, he’s doing so with the help of some very strong women—Kelly in particular.
Dana DeLorenzo plays the former supermarket trainee who joins Ash and company after her mother is possessed by a Deadite. What I appreciate the most about her character is that she is both a badass demon fighter, as well as a vulnerable woman dealing with the loss of her parents. Plus, she keeps Ash in check whenever he makes a sexist remark. Anyone who calls out everyday sexism gets a passing mark in my book.
It looks like I’m not alone in my sentiments. DeLorenzo says she also appreciates Kelly’s multifaceted personality. “I was in love with Kelly before I even got the job,” she tells The Mary Sue. “Just seeing what they were already thinking with Kelly, that she was going to be this tough as nails, ball busting, nuanced character but with a heart of gold … I love that this show is breaking so much ground with these female characters and doing it in a way that is not trying to push some agenda. It just is. There’s no, ‘Hey, we’re really trying to do this here … and really trying to make it a point to make these women stand out.’ No, they’re just well-written female characters that are strong and funny, and that have these idiosyncrasies.”
For DeLorenzo, the show’s well-rounded women can be attributed to having women like Zoë Green present in the writer’s room. “I feel like there are things that are gender specific in terms of what you can bring to it,” she added. “It’s like if you’re writing a role based on yourself, you can bring something to that that someone else who has none of the similar life experiences couldn’t.” Who knew that women writing women would result in more fully realized female characters?
Ash v Evil Dead currently airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Starz.
(image via screencap)
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