Last week I had the opportunity to cover the red carpet of a special screening, aka the NY premiere, of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. On that carpet I had the chance to speak with stars Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll as well as director Jeff Tremaine and one of the many guests, Thor: The Dark World star Jaimie Alexander. You can check out my brief interviews with each of them below and be sure to check out my review of the film here.
Movie Buzzers: How much of the film was scripted versus improvised?
Jeff Tremaine: It’s all improvised. We wrote the story out, we knew where we were going but anytime we put those two together, the other people don’t know what’s happening so they have to react what’s happening, when you have to adjust based on the reactions you’re getting. So it’s all improvised but we did have a thorough story, they knew where to take each scene, it’s just a matter of getting there, there was never the dialogue written out.
MB: How was it, in terms of your directorial style, managing it?
JT: [laughs] This one was a tough one to manage. One you’re working with two chimpanzees as actors. This was a complicated movie because we had to hide all the cameras, we had to hope for the right reactions and we hope he doesn’t get recognized, there’s a lot going on.
MB: Was there a lot that you shot that didn’t make it into the film?
JT: Yeah, we always overshoot the shit out of these things.
MB: Are there any other spin-off type films in the works?
JT: You know the fact that we were able to pull this movie off, we did a real narrative movie, a real story, shot in the real world, opens up a lot of possibilities in my mind. I don’t have the next idea but the fact that it’s possible is exciting for me.
Movie Buzzers: What did you parents think about you working with the crazy team from Jackass?
Jackson Nicoll: They were amazed. They only reason I’m here is because of Johnny. If Johnny wasn’t in this movie I wouldn’t be here right now.
MB: What did you think about being offered the role in this movie because you know it’s very different than some of the other stuff that Johnny does?
JN: I kind of knew, but I saw at the audition that a lot of kids would freeze up if they saw, like if they were in public a lot of kids would freeze up. I don’t.
MB: You’re a champion.
JN: Thanks
MB: What was your favorite part about working with Johnny?
JN: Johnny is a smart Alec. I’m not saying he’s the only one. It’s Jeff, me, Derek, everybody.
MB: And you were talking earlier about some of the pranks like the waterfall (fill a garbage pail up with water, lean it against a door and when the person opens the door it falls) , are you going to start doing some of those to your friends at home?
JN: Maybe….
MB: Have you done it to your parents?
JN: I want to
Movie Buzzers: What was your favorite part about playing Irving?
Johnny Knoxville: I get to prank the public again. I can’t prank the public as myself anymore, so with Irving I can do that again. Plus being an old person you can get away with so much.
And now a word from someone with no relation to the film, Johnny Knoxville’s The Last Stand co-star and star of the upcoming Thor sequel, Jaimie Alexander.
Movie Buzzers: What are your favorite parts about these Jackass films and how the franchise manages to continually keep building off each other?
Jaimie Alexander: It’s so funny, a friend of mine said a long time ago, that Johnny submitted a video, and this was before Johnny got into Jackass and everything, where he stapled a part of himself to another part of himself and was laughing the whole time, it’s like he doesn’t feel pain. And just to see how far the guy’s come, I mean he makes so much money off of these but he always has the best ideas and he’s always looking for new ideas and something to try and how outrageous he can get. And I think it’s just a guy who’s not afraid to be himself, who is completely in control of his imagination and just uses it to his advantage.
MB: How long do you think he’ll be able to keep this up?
JA: I think he’ll probably be able to keep it up until he’s Irving’s age, more than likely.
MB: You have Thor 2 coming out, have you seen a script or there anything going on with a potential third film?
JA: We talked about a third film but there isn’t a script though, it’s a little ways away but there are some neat concepts.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa is now in theaters everywhere
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