Brad Pitt talks about his love of Jackass
Jackass is an American reality comedy television series created by Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville. It originally aired for three short seasons on MTV between October 2000 and August 2001. The show debuted on October 1st, 2000, and after the second episode had aired, MTV gained the highest Sunday ratings in its history, drawing 2.4 million viewers among 12 to 34-year-olds, its target demographic.
The show’s premise was its cast carrying out and encouraging dangerous behaviour, which earned it some criticism and controversy upon release. However, this exact premise is what led it to become a hugely popular media franchise with nine feature films and video games.
Jackass also featured celebrity cameos who would feature in the pranks or bits, ranging from fellow comedians to musicians or actors. The main cast, including Steve-O and Chris Pontius, has shared many stories of these cameos and insight into which celebrities did what during filming. Steve-O and Pontius shared how one celebrity was highly keen to feature on the show during an episode of Wild Ride!.
Brad Pitt, one of America’s most famous actors, is known for his role in the film adaptation of Fight Club as Tyler Durden and John Smith in Mr & Mrs Smith. Both roles blend comedy with more serious genres, such as social commentary and crime.
When asked how Pitt’s appearances on the show came to fruition, Steve-O explained that co-creator Jonez played a huge part. “Around that time in 2001,” Steve-O recalled, “Spike Jonez was buddies with Pitt, and they were hanging out, and Pitt said, ‘Oh dude, I want to be on Jackass'”.
The comedian reveals that Jonez wasted no time in getting the Fight Club star on board the show, organising a casual meeting between Pitt and Steve-O: “So Spike set it up, and there was a TV office that we had where Pitt was just hanging out at”.
Steve-O shared the details of how laid back and fun this meeting went. After sharing a cigarette together, Steve-O “pulled off his most difficult skateboard trick”. He was asked by the actor, “How long did it take to grow your eyebrows back after they waxed them off?” – hinting at Pitt’s dedicated love of the show and fitting sense of humour.
So what ideas did Steve-O and the rest of the Jackass cast and crew have set up for Hollywood’s heartthrob?
“We put him in line at Pink’s, which is this hot dog stand that just always has the craziest line”, Steve-O shared, “and kidnapped him”.
This reads as a concept that Pitt could never have expected for his cameo on the show, especially considering how far ahead the cast planned for the prank. As Pontius added, “the police were already informed of the prank and were asked to “disregard calls about Brad Pitt”.
Pitt’s other segment on the show was more tame yet goofy in tone. It was an extension of a gag Pontius had previously worked on, as the stunt performer “did one bit where I ran around town causing trouble dressed as a monkey”.
The Se7en actor soon found himself in that same monkey costume, relying on audiences doubting someone as serious as Pitt would do such a ridiculous as the ironic payoff. Pontius explained that “the punchline was that with the credits when it said… ‘Brad Pitt in the monkey suit’… you’re like ‘Oh that’s obviously not Brad Pitt’, and then he takes the mask off and he’s Brad Pitt”.
Watch the kidnapping Brad Pitt sketch here.
