Jackass Forever Stars Wee Man And Preston Lacy Promise That Jackass Will Never End [Interview]
Friendship is at the core of the "Jackass" franchise, and it's hard to think of a friendship in the films stronger than the one between Jason "Wee Man" Acuña and Preston Lacy. The two have experienced the ups and downs of the franchise together (as well as the actual ups and downs of bungee-jumping off of a bridge together in "Jackass: Number Two"). For more than 20 years, the biggest, sweetest cast member and the smallest, spiciest cast member have been the perfect odd couple, taking on whatever challenges Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, and the rest of the "Jackass" crew throw at them. In "Jackass Forever," now available to rent on VOD platforms and streaming on Paramount+, they once again throw shame to the wind and put their bodies in harm's way, all in the name of making us laugh.
The gods of comedy smiled upon me, and I had the chance to chat with Lacy and Acuña via Zoom about their favorite stunts, the legacy of the franchise, and so much more. The best part of it all? They promised that "Jackass" truly is forever, and that they have no plans to quit — although they might be doing more instigating than stunting in the future.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
'We're like wine: We age very well'
So how does it feel to come back and do this after all of these years? You guys aren't exactly young men anymore.
Acuña: We're like wine: We age very well. So doing "Jackass" and being very athletic kept us the way we are, and it was fun. It's what we do.
What are some of your comedy influences? What inspired you guys to go into this sort of mix of stunt work and comedy?
Lacy: I was big into "Cheers" and "Taxi," and moved to California to be on sitcoms, and made the mistake of getting hooked up with Johnny Knoxville and going into reality slapstick comedy.
Acuña: Well, Preston wrote good bits for us when we first started doing things, and Knoxville would call him back and go, "These bits are so good, but you're going to have to do them."
'The more you talk [about] getting out of it, the more you're in it'
You both have done some incredible bits over the years. Which are your favorites? I have to know.
Lacy: For me and Jason together is the bungee we did in Florida off of the bridge. That's my favorite one with the two of us.
Acuña: And that was one of our "one takes." One that was like, "One take, got it, nailed it."
Are there any stunts or pranks either of you have said no to over the years?
Acuña: We have.
Lacy: We tried to get out of random things for different reasons. One of them was like a Mentos Coke thing we did that I didn't want to do, just because I thought I was going to slip and hurt my knee in there.
Acuña: We have also been trying to get out of bits, but the more you talk [about] getting out of it, the more you're in it.
'We've been doing this before everybody else'
How does it feel watching a new generation take the reins and sort of take over some of the more painful stunts and carry on the legacy? What do you guys think the future of the franchise looks like?
Lacy: Well, it's pretty easy to get the new guys to buy you dinner, for sure.
Acuña: It's pretty easy to prank the new guys.
Lacy: I think there probably is a future, but who knows exactly what that'll be. But I think there probably is.
Acuña: Yep. But we'll still be included, don't worry. We might be the cheerleaders, but we'll still be there.
Lacy: Instigators.
Acuña: Instigators, yeah.
You all famously said "Jackass 3D" was the last one, and then now, "Jackass Forever" is kind of "forever," the last one. Do you think "Jackass" will ever actually end?
Lacy: No.
Acuña: Nope. There's no end for "Jackass." "Jackass" has been around before YouTube, so if you think about it, we've been doing this before everybody else. Because when we first even started, people were like, "Dude, me and my buddies used to do that, but we didn't have cameras," and now everybody has cameras, but we were already doing it.
Lacy: I asked Knoxville when we could retire, and he said that the Three Stooges were in their late '60s when they did, and we should hold out for that.
'Once somebody's naked, you've done everything'
"Jackass" features a lot of male nudity and it really challenges toxic masculinity, and you guys have kind of become unwitting queer icons. Was that something that you ever intentionally set out to do, or did it just happen because of your natural camaraderie?
Lacy: We just tried to make it funny and tried to be inclusive with everybody. I treat people like I think they want to be treated.
Acuña: And when we first started doing these bits, it was more thinking that whoever was doing them was going to be more embarrassed than getting an amazing bit. Now, years later, we realize that no matter what, it's still going to be funny. People are always like, "No, you guys are, like, naked now." It's like, hey man, once somebody's naked, you've done everything. You can't embarrass anybody anymore, so bring it. What do you got?
'Every time we say there's not going to be another movie, there's another movie'
On that note, what was the scariest, most embarrassing thing for either of you to do? I'm sure, Wee Man, running across that table during the board meeting naked had to be a little intimidating.
Acuña: No, that was the easiest. We were done filming for the day and Jeff [Tremaine] and I were in the hotel jacuzzi, and we noticed that meeting going on. Jeff goes, "Just run across naked," and that's like something we would just do out of the blue anyway. There was no pain involved, so that was like a perfect bit.
Lacy: If you catch yourself getting really, really humiliated, you then realize, "Wait a minute, I'm getting some good footage right now." So, in the back of your mind, you're like, "Well, take the good with the bad."
What are some of your all-time favorite movie stunts? Is there anybody throughout history that's really impressed you or inspired you?
Acuña: Bruce Willis. He's a badass. He's big inspiration.
So are we going to see you walk barefoot across glass in "Jackass 5"?
Acuña: Does Bruce Willis walk across glass?
In "Die Hard."
Acuña: Oh, dang. I got to check that out again. Well, "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie.
Will there ever be a Jackass Christmas movie?
Acuña: You never know. Nowadays, we can't even say no, because every time we say there's not going to be another movie, there's another movie.
'We'll always keep putting out the same style music, just a new record'
That's true. Is there anything you want to tell the "Jackass" fans? The kids that have been watching since they were staying up late at night, watching on MTV and cheering you guys on — is there anything you want to share with all those lovely little nerds like myself?
Lacy: Just that our movie does not disappoint, and it's really funny and it will shock you.
Acuña: And it's like a band: We'll always keep putting out the same style music, just a new record.
"Jackass Forever" is streaming on Paramount+ and available to purchase on Digital.