Watching the Jackass movies and television shows, you can glean a certain understanding of how the performers view their work. They aren’t excited to get hurt or humiliated, and they express regret when something ends up crossing a threshold, but simultaneously they are always hoping for the best footage possible, and that often means getting real hurt or really humiliated. It’s a paradoxical position for them to be in, but it’s pretty well summed up in Steve-O’s opinion of an exploding porta-potty prank in Jackass Forever.
In the movie, Steve-O unknowingly walks into a portable toilet that is rigged to explode, and a few seconds after he enters the whole thing goes boom – leaving the Jackass star stunned and prone and the ground. It’s hilarious and insane, but Steve-O was actually disappointed that the person at the trigger didn’t give him enough time to actually pull his pants down and start going to the bathroom.
I interviewed Steve-O, Wee Man, and Chris Pontius this week during the virtual press day for Jackass Forever, and it was during a discussion about pranks and on-set paranoia that Steve-O expressed the blunt and surprising opinion of the trick that had him as the victim:
Steve-O: When I went into the porta-potty and it exploded, I'm mad that they did it so quickly.
Wee Man: Oh yeah, they did do it pretty quickly.
Steve-O: Yeah. Like I went in... when I went into the porta-potty, which blew up in flames, I was actually going for a number two. Yeah. And they were so excited to blow it up, they didn't even wait until I had my pants down. I mean, it would've been so great if they... they should have just waited until I had my pants down, and I was actually really doing my thing.
You can actually see the exploding porta-potty prank prominently featured in the most recent trailer for Jackass Forever, and the video is included in the edit of my interview clip up at the top. As you can see, Steve-O didn’t even have time to even pull down his pants before him found himself on the ground surrounded by porta-potty parts.
So who was responsible? The trio pondered the question, with Chris Pontius first pointing a finger at production designer J.P. Blackmon, but Wee Man used a colorful euphemism to explain what happened:
Chris Pontius: I bet that was J.P. at the trigger.
Wee Man: No, it was the explosive guys. And I think they've just premature ejaculated/pushed the button. You know what I mean?
Steve-O: It's a great shot, but it just, you know…
It may not be the best prank it could be, but it’s still pretty damn funny, and his willingness to always go the extra mile certainly explains why he has been seriously injured and hospitalized over the years making Jackass.
You’ll be able to see the porta-potty exploding action and a whole lot more very soon, as Jackass Forever will be hitting theaters next Friday, February 4 (head to the official website to learn about local showtimes). Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for my from my interviews with the crew from Jackass, and head over to our 2022 Movie Release Calendar to discover what other films are hitting theaters and streaming in the coming months.
