Jackass 5: Johnny Knoxville Shares Which Stunts Are Off-Limits
The appeal of the “Jackass” franchise (which began as an MTV reality show and then became a film series) is far from universal. However, for the many who do derive massive entertainment from such onscreen spectacles of self-inflicted torture, these feature-length masochistic gag reels (pun very much intended) are a gift that keeps on giving. A little under four years after “Jackass Forever” proved that Johnny Knoxville and his crew of fellow consummate hooligans have lost none of their daredevil urges in the final decade of middle age, “Jackass 5” has been announced. There’s just one limit to what Knoxville will be partaking in for the next installment.
No More Concussions for Knoxville
On January 15, Knoxville sat down for the Syndicate X Library podcast as a guest on a series titled “Books That Changed My Life.” For Knoxville, the book in question was “You Can’t Win,” the autobiography of the early-20th-century outlaw Jack Black. Knoxville explained that he had taken the import of the title to heart in deciding what to do with his own life: “I did what I thought I could do… and since I suck at everything, why not try stunts? ‘Cause nobody wants to see someone make a stunt… They’re only good when they fail. So, yes: I made a career out of failing.”
On June 26 of this year, “Jackass 5” will showcase Knoxville proudly carrying on the anti-illustrious tradition that first brought him fame a quarter-century ago. However, he now has a new limitation to his daredevilry, imposed by a particularly nasty accident that he suffered during his previous outing. For “Jackass Forever,” he entered a pen with a very agitated bull, which charged him and struck him a blow that caused him to pinwheel in the air before crashing down. The fall left him with a concussion, a brain hemorrhage, and a broken wrist and rib; he was immediately taken away on a gurney.
The lead star of the “Jackass” franchise is not the type to complain, however understandably, about such a pitfall as serious injury. In the podcast interview, he shook his head when asked whether he had “a general sense of how many times you’ve been to the ER.” “Are you allowed to do stunts anymore?” the interviewer inquired in a semi-incredulous tone. Knoxville answered that there’s just one rule for him going forward: “I can’t do anything where I can get another concussion.” At this point, Knoxville is “way over my limit for concussions.” But rest assured: he doesn’t “care about anything else. I just can’t get hit in the head anymore… But a lot of other guys can.”
What Will Be His Concussion-Free Highlights in “Jackass 5”?
Knoxville concluded that “Jackass” was “so fun,” and that he was “very excited” for the next film in the franchise. If these movies are up your alley, you should be, too. After all, there’s no shortage of good-natured harm (to coin a franchise-specific oxymoron) that he can receive and self-inflict without further endangering his cranium. Remember when he stood as a target for a riot gun so powerful that he had to wear padding on his chest to ensure it wouldn’t kill him? Remember “Jackass 3.5″‘s game of limbo, in which the bar was electrified? What about the time the gang went scuba-diving with whale sharks, having stuffed shrimp into their undies?
Of course, we may hope that the grotesquely intrepid (another word combination you’re not likely to find describing many things outside of “Jackass”) stars of “Jackass 5” will come up with plenty of new stunts rather than just playing such old hits. Whatever limitations aging and past injuries may impose on Johnny Knoxville, it’s fair to say at this point that he’s found his vocation, and that making “a career out of failing” is a reliable way to keep him and his cronies from disappointing their fanbase with whatever they come up with next.
