INDIANAPOLIS — Best known for his iconic roles in horror and action films, actor Bruce Campbell is showing audiences a different side of his career with his new romantic comedy, “Ernie & Emma.”

Campbell is taking the independent film on a nationwide screening tour in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, including a stop in Indianapolis on Friday, Nov. 6.

The tour features special screenings, live introductions and post-screening conversations with Campbell, offering audiences a closer look at the film and its personal themes.

“I wanted to make a movie that was off the grid, away from any kind of studio influence,” Campbell said during an interview. “My wife just challenged me, basically, because I wanted to make a movie that was off the grid … So she said, ‘Well, get at it, buddy.’”

A departure from the horror and action projects that have defined much of his career, “Ernie & Emma” follows Ernie Tyler, a small-town pear salesman in Pear Valley, Oregon, whose wife, Emma, dies. Before her death, Emma leaves behind a detailed list of instructions that sends Ernie on a journey to spread her ashes while revisiting memories of their life together.

Along the way, Ernie is forced to confront difficult experiences, rediscover his purpose and learn how to move forward without the woman he loved.

Campbell, whose credits include “The Evil Dead,” “Bubba Ho-Tep” and “Burn Notice,” said he wanted to tell a story about the realities of life, relationships and loss.

He described the film as a “sunrise story,” acknowledging that although it begins with grief, its larger message is about love and finding a reason to keep moving forward.

“It’s a love story from beyond the grave because she does love her husband enough to really help him move on,” Campbell said. “She knows he’s going to need help.”

The film balances humor with heartbreak, a combination Campbell said required careful attention during the editing process.

“I can’t get too sappy, and I can’t get too happy,” he said. “Finding somewhere in the middle” was important as the story shifts between lighter moments and more emotional experiences.

Campbell also hopes audiences recognize that love does not end when someone dies.

“Love never dies. You’re never without love,” he said. “You think you are, but you’re not. Love is always there. You just gotta reach out and grab it.”

The actor said the film’s themes are especially relevant as people navigate aging, marriage and the loss of loved ones. Campbell, who has been married for 35 years, said those experiences have reinforced the importance of appreciating the time people have together.

“Let’s value the time that we have because things that we think are going to stay the same never do,” he said.

The Alamo Drafthouse tour follows a series of sold-out screenings Campbell hosted earlier this year at independent theaters. The film debuted at the historic Holly Theatre in Medford, Oregon, in February, followed by sold-out screenings in Portland and Boise.

In June, Campbell brought the film to Detroit’s Redford Theatre, where audiences gave it a standing ovation and participated in a post-screening question-and-answer session.

The nationwide tour launched Sept. 4 in Los Angeles and includes stops in California, New York, Texas, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Colorado, among other locations. The tour runs through Nov. 14.

Additional screening details and ticket information are available through Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. For more information about the film, visit ernieandemma.com.