Steve-O is revealing why he thinks Jackass Forever “was kind of a bummer,” even though it was a box office hit.
During an interview with NME, published online Friday, the writer-entertainer opened up about the 2022 film, which saw Johnny Knoxville and his crew returning for another round of wild and dangerous stunts and comedy. But it was one of Knoxville’s scenes in the latest film that changed Steve-O’s perspective.
“It’s not fun to watch Knoxville get hit in the head anymore,” he said of the scene that left the stunt performer and actor with a brain injury following an encounter with a bull. “I wrote this text to the whole cast that day, thanking Knoxville for the sacrifices he’s made for this team, and also begging that he stops with the brain trauma. It was one of my more serious and sincere messages.”
Last year, Knoxville told Entertainment Weekly that he was officially done running with bulls after the incident sent him to the hospital with a concussion, brain hemorrhage, broken wrist and rib.
Regarding his own stunts in what is presumed to be the last film in the Jackass franchise, Steve-O said he even found some of them to be underwhelming. He specifically recalled a scene with the “Bad Things” singer-rapper, in which a giant foam hand knocked them into a pool while riding stationary bikes.
“I love Machine Gun Kelly,” he explained. “I just wish the actual stunt we had him participate in had been at a higher level.”
Although the film may have not been Steve-O’s favorite in the entire franchise, Jackass Forever still went on to earn $80 million worldwide against a $10 million budget. Critics also declared the latest film from the stunt ensemble as the best in the franchise’s history.
