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I’ve seen plenty of funny films over the course of my life, and while I have an appreciation for “smart” comedies like The Big Lebowski, when I really want to watch something that I know will make me laugh my ass off, there’s one thing I continually turn to: the Jackass movies. It’s easy to dismiss the group of merry pranksters as a bunch of stupid people doing stupid things, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re one of the greatest comedy groups of all time.
Steve-O is still putting his body on the line after a well-documented struggle with addiction, and it’s no secret that Jackass took a serious toll on everyone involved. Ringmaster Johnny Knoxville sat down with Vulture to reflect upon the golden days and discuss the long-term impact the show and movies have had on him— including the 16 concussions he’s suffered over the course of his career.
I encourage every true Jackass fan to check out the entire interview, which is filled with a number of eye-opening anecdotes and revelations. The conversation gets a bit heavy at times, but it also gets nostalgic, including when Knoxville reveals his favorite Jackass stunts of all time:
Within our group, we love the toy car with Ryan [Dunn]; the prank on Ehren [McGhehey] at the end of Jackass Number Two where he pretends to be a terrorist. The giant-hand prank makes me giggle because it’s straight out of Tom and Jerry.
However, there are also a couple he’d think twice about if he had to do them again:
Steve-O was screaming in that Port-a-Potty with his mouth wide open.And I remember talking to [director] Jeff [Tremaine] when he told me the idea of the fishhook and casting Steve-O out to sea. I wasn’t fond of that idea…I didn’t think it was funny. I don’t want him missing a leg. But we still shot it and Steve-O kicked the shark in the nose before it bit him. Now that’s funny.
Knoxville did the interview ahead of the release of Action Point, a movie based on New Jersey’s infamous Action Park that features a bunch of Jackass-style stunts. He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote it, where he revealed he suffered four concussions over the course of filming, which he attributed to him being a terrible stuntman.
I think I speak for every Jackass fan when I say “Thank you for your service.”