Rachel Wolfson, the first female Jackass cast member, has revealed that she owes her casting in the upcoming Jackass Forever to an Instagram DM from franchise co-creator, Johnny Knoxville. Since its earliest beginnings at skateboarding magazine Big Brother, the Jackass brand has been very male-oriented, with the TV series and subsequent films not necessarily avoiding female participation, but also not seeking it out in any significant way, either.
Fortunately, with the release of the fourth film now just a matter of hours away, the world of Jackass is set to make its biggest changes since the stupid stunt franchise first took off over 20 years ago. In addition to many of the original cast members fans of the series first came to know, this latest iteration of the brand features the first-ever introduction of new members. At present, it’s unclear how these new Jackass recruits will take to the pressures and challenges of being part of arguably the biggest stunt franchise of all time, but the fact of the matter is, that if Jackass is to continue, changes needed to be made. At age 50, co-creator Knoxville has injured himself so many times – even incurring brain damage while filming Jackass Forever – that he’s but one example of the need to bring in more Jackass options.
As the need to diversify even the longest running franchises continues to be a priority within the entertainment industry, having to add new cast members to the Jackass franchise has provided an opportunity to reach beyond its traditional all-male cast. Rachel Wolfson has earned the honor of being the first-ever female Jackass cast member, but perhaps even more remarkable about her joining the famed stunt crew is how she came to join them in the first place. While speaking with Uproxx recently, Wolfson explained that her Jackass invitation came after Knoxville reached out to her via an Instagram DM. Read what she said below:
You know, it was a complete surprise. I remember in 2019, I noticed that Johnny Knoxville was liking a bunch of my content on Instagram, my jokes and my memes. And then not too long after that, I got a direct message from Johnny Knoxville, which when I first got it, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was being pranked. And he was like, “Hey, do you want to hop on a call with me? I want to ask you something.” So I got on the phone with him and he said that they were doing some kind of anniversary special. So at first, I didn’t even know it was a movie. And he asked if I would be interested, and I was like, yes. Whatever Johnny Knoxville asked of me, I was like, “I am interested.”
It’s remarkable to think that something as physically challenging as being a part of Jackass could be cast over social media, but Knoxville’s instincts have served the franchise well for over two decades, and Wolfson’s casting likely won’t be any different in this respect. It’s important to remember that being a part of Jackass doesn’t just come down to the willingness to take on dangerous and outright stupid stunts, it also requires a certain onscreen presence and personality. Clearly, Knoxville saw all of these things in Wolfson, and her debut in Jackass Forever is sure to be worth checking out alongside the franchise’s original cast.
It’s also important to emphasize that Wolfson wasn’t simply hired to meet some wrongly perceived diversity quota. If Knoxville felt that Wolfson has what it takes to put herself through the same sorts of hilarious misfortunes that the cast has become known for over the years, then so be it. Without a doubt, infusing the cast with new blood is entirely beneficial and should Jackass Forever prove that there’s room for an entire new generation of Jackass films, then it will be great to see how Wolfson and the new cast take to that challenge.
Source: Uproxx
Key Release Dates
- Jackass Forever (2022)Release date: Feb 04, 2022
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