By Fred Topel | Image property of Paramount Pictures, MTV Films.
Johnny Knoxville Rides The Rocket
One of the closest calls in Jackass: Number Two is Johnny Knoxville riding the big red rocket. You’ve probably seen the pictures of Knoxville in Evil Knievel gear strapped to the contraption.
Knoxville Talks The Rocket in Jackass: Number Two
“It’s fun but it’s scary as hell because no one’s done this,” said Knoxville. “I’ve never seen anyone ride a rocket. We got these rocket experts [saying], ‘What do you think’s gonna happen?’ I don’t know! You’re the experts! ‘We think we’ve got enough velocity to take it fifty feet in the air and 160 feet out and he’s going to go fifty miles an hour.”
It took two tries to get it right. The first take exploded and shrapnel came within inches of ending the Jackass legacy right there. Director Jeff Tremaine said, “That one got so much scarier in post when we watched it frame by frame and saw all the rockets flying out and these metal rods. Plus, right as this happened we had a couple of prop guys two hundred yards back and it whizzed right past their faces.”
Add to Heffee!
