"A Chat With Jackass"" Johnny Knoxville"

\tDo you like to get naked and hang from trees, throw up, or intentionally cause pain to yourself?

\tIf you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a "Jackass." Furthermore, if you enjoy watching these acts, then you will love "Jackass: The Movie," which hits theaters this Friday.

\tIn a phone conference, The Spectrum spoke to Johnny Knoxville about the new movie, his career as a Jackass, and all the painful and grotesque encounters he has had.



Spectrum: What can the audience expect from "Jackass: The Movie?"

Knoxville: The boys really stepped it up for the movie. It is essentially the naughtier, 90-minute version of the show - no plot, no narratives. It is all the stuff that we couldnOt show on MTV - mostly a lot of things going in and out of holes.



S: Was there anything that you couldnOt get past the MPAA?

K: They sent us a list of things that were objectionable in the film, and (the movie) initially got an NC-17 rating a few times. We wanted an R rating so we didnOt take any bits out of the movie, but we couldnOt linger on things like scrotums and shafts as long.



S: Speaking of scrotums, you have endured a lot of pain to that area. Is everything still intact?

K: (laughs) Thank you for worrying, my balls are in terrific shape.



S: Do you have a limit, or is there anything that you wonOt do for "Jackass?"

K: I f---ing hate cold. I donOt like to do anything with cold water or weather. There was one thing in the movie that I wouldnOt do, and (fellow cast member) Ryan Dunn stepped up and took one for the team. I canOt tell you what it is, but I can tell you that you will never look at toy cars the same again.



S: What do you say to the people who think "Jackass" is a bad influence on kids?

K: PeopleOs criticisms of me or Jackass donOt effect what we do, so I really donOt care what anyone has to say. It is completely up to the parents to monitor what their kids watch and have a dialogue with their kids.



S: The hospital must be like a second home to you. How many major injuries have you had because of the show?

K: I went to the hospital three times during the shooting of the movie, and I had vertigo from suffering so many blows to the head. But I have had a number of sprains, five or six concussions, some breaks. Nothing too bad, just a bunch of trips to the emergency room.



S: What do you think of reality shows like "Real World," "Sorority Life," et cetera?

K: I think it is all pretty beat and watered down and not interesting. But it is not on its way out.



S: Do you consider what you do on "Jackass" to be art or self-expression?

K: No, no, we do it because it is fun. There is some performance art that I like, but most of them are so f---ing pretentious, talking about their instrument and intellect. ItOs like, "You know what? Just shut up." ItOs like you are undoing what you just did by running your mouth.



S: What are your goals as far as your film career goes?

K: I want to do drama and comedy and produce. There is a lot I want to do, and I am working on a bunch of other things right now like books, movies and the show.



"Jackass: The Movie" will be released Friday, Oct. 25.