Johnny Knoxville’s ‘Jackass Future’ and his love for Bam Margera

In Hulu’s “Reboot,”A meta comedy from “Modern Family” creator Steven Levitan, Johnny Knoxville plays edgy stand-up comedian Clay Barber. After multiple stints behind bars, he finally gets to play the role of Clay Barber in a fun family sitcom. This is after Hulu decides to revive it 20 years later.

Knoxville is not Clay. “very good” at dubbing lines and is — at least according to his co-star Keegan-Michael Key — “an absolute gentleman.” But the 51-year-old actor and stuntman admits that there’s “more than a little”He is a reflection of himself. Both boys were called bad and led fast lives in the public eye. Knoxville eventually had to cool down, and in the cleverly titled “Reboot,”Clay is determined to change his life and remain sober.

Knoxville shares his personal journey. Variety, “I had to slow down. I was too hot. You’re a fool if you live like you did when you were 30 at 50. If you have the same ideas you had at 30 when you’re 50, you’re not growing as a person.

“Sometimes I still have one too many… And you know what? That’s fine!”Knoxville laughs and leans back. “It’s fine, Mom! Just every now and then.”

Sit down with Variety, Knoxville discusses his journey to “Reboot,” his relationship with friend and former co-star Bam Margera and why 2022’s “Jackass Forever”It might not be over for the beloved series of physical comedy.

What appealed to your about clay playing?

He’s a pretty colorful character… a lot of demons. And he’s doing the best that he can. He’s not always gonna do it the best way, but he’s trying to hold it together. You are kind of like him.

What does it mean? “Reboot”Hollywood: What are you doing right?

I have a kind of perverted view of Hollywood because I’m kind of in the business kind of not. “Jackass” and [the 2013 spinoff] “Bad Grandpa”They are unlike any other Hollywood films.

But certainly you’ve had experiences with network execs and navigating the politics of showbiz.

Sure. There are some executives with great notes. They’re more rare [laughs]These execs are often in their current positions for only a year, and then move on to other things. But “Reboot” really nailed the personalities of the characters and actors… the writers’ room on the show is one of my favorite parts. I would watch a whole series on the writers. Horrible things are out of [co-star] Rose Abdoo’s mouth — she’s so funny. You just have two different generations that grew up with two different senses of humor and what you could say then and what you can’t say now. That’s real.

Both “Reboot” “Jackass Forever”The project features a group who return years later to it, but the culture and people have changed. What is the story? “Jackass”Need to modernize, and what needs to remain the same?

We’re older now. What is it going to look like for us to do what we do? We felt it was necessary to have younger people do this with us. Who knows what that might look like? So we had a two-day test in December 2019 where we not only tested the younger cast — we were testing ourselves. We all felt it was great after about two to three hours of shooting. We didn’t need to see the footage. Some people took a little longer to settle in, but that’s how things go. Old men thought so. “Wait, are we getting replaced?” No, we’re just drawing the circle a little wider. It’s one big family.

“Jackass Forever”The film was a big hit at both the box office, and with critics. What made you think it was so popular?

“Jackass” is a lot of things, but mostly it’s honest. People appreciate this. All pranks work. The pain is real. The love between the men is real. The fear on the sets is real. Truth is on our side.

They also include critics. “Jackass”Now they are in middle school or highschool when the first one was released. And now they’re in positions of power. They grew up alongside us. They were born in the year 2000. “Jackass” first came out, people hadn’t seen anything like it before. So I don’t blame them for all the bad reviews.

The film was posited as the franchise’s final installment. However, the reception of the film has made it clear that there is a way forward. “Jackass”?

We never said whether it was or wasn’t [the final film]. It was written somewhere, and people took it as their own. We would continue to lean more on the younger cast and the older guys would take a step back, but still be part of the action. I would have to step back because my neurologist said I can’t have any more concussions.

It is possible that you had planned other stunts but were forced to stop them because of your medical issues? Bull scene?

Yes, there were three to four major stunts I planned. I don’t want to say what they were, but they were on the same level as the bull. Even if I had gotten through the bull, I wouldn’t have gotten out of the others. I would have been taken out by one of them.

Was that the scariest moment you’ve had on set?

I don’t think so. It’s one of the most serious things I’ve experienced. Yes, I do have fear. But that’s more like two or three days out of a big stunt. When it’s time to shoot, I just want to go right now. I’ll be sitting in my car listening to music. When they’re ready to go, they call me in and I go. Others who witnessed the bull act were more scared than I was. I was out for more than a minute, but for me personally, it wasn’t scary. I go to a different place when I’m doing those things.

How do you prepare yourself for big stunts?

I listen to music in my car. When we’re ready to go, they call me.

What kind of music gets you excited?

Roger Alan Wade, my cousin. Townes Van Zandt. I am most motivated by sad songs.

How can you do it in a positive way?

The following is an “I want to run into a brick wall” way. I don’t know why.

In 2001, after a Connecticut teenager burned himself attempting a stunt, Al Gore’s runningmate, Sen. Joe Lieberman, made an example out of the “Jackass”MTV attempted to cancel TV series. How did you handle being blamed for something completely out of your control.

It didn’t feel like it was really about us. Lieberman seemed to want to make Hollywood tough in his campaign. This isn’t really a position on anything. With all the problems in the world, you’re going to go after Hollywood? You’re going after us. It’s like, take a real stand on some other issue. But it’s an easy issue to take a stand on. There were some [amateur stunt accidents]The press was deemed “copycat incidents.” We don’t like kids getting hurt. We always said, “Don’t try this at home.”

I received a letter from Lieberman about 10 years back. He wrote that he was a huge fan of the campaign and that it had nothing to do about us. Their mouths were full of words. He said, “We weren’t imitating ‘Jackass.’ We were just screwing around and got burnt.”They were brought in [by Lieberman]It was a puppet. And he couldn’t have been sweeter in his letter. It hurts that he was hurt. Whether it was us, or just them screwing around, I don’t like to hear those stories.

You and your friend had a very public argument. “Jackass”Paramount and Bam Margera were sued by Bam Margera, a co-star in the film. “Jackass Forever”Later, he dropped the suit. There’s been news of Margera struggling to stay in rehab, and fans are concerned about his well-being. Are you able to speak with him and see a way forward?

I haven’t spoken to Bam in about a year and a half, give or take six months. [“Jackass” director]Jeff Tremaine, Steve O and I met face-to-face with Bam and his spouse to try to find out how we could help. After that, we had a Zoom meeting as a group and that was the last time that I spoke to him. Let’s just say that I love Bam. It is clear that there has been a lot of change. I just want him and his family to be healthy. I love this guy and I want him well.

You think there would be any room for him to go back in the “Jackass” world?

That would be a great topic for discussion. He should only get better. That’s the first step. He must do that and keep doing it, as everything else is just fluff. “Jackass” is not important when you’re talking about someone’s life.

What do you consider the legacy of “Jackass”?

It’s not something I think about unless asked about it during an interview. That’s not for me to answer. It belongs to everyone now. However you perceive “Jackass”It is fine with me. The toothpaste is out the tube.