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Posted in: Hulu, streaming, TV | Tagged: History of the World: Part II, hulu, jackass, johnny knoxville, Mel Brooks, Nick Kroll, preston lacy, rasputin, wanda sykes, wee man
History of the World: Part II: Johnny Knoxville on Living Comedy Dream
Johnny Knoxville on how Nick Kroll helped land him the role of Rasputin in Hulu's History of the World; Part II, Jackass cast joining & more.
It shouldn't be to anyone's surprise when Hulu announced a follow-up to Mel Brooks' 1981 classic History of the World: Part I into an eight-episode event for Part II that executive producers and stars Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, and Ike Barinholtz's inboxes would be flooded by the who's who of comedy. Among them is Johnny Knoxville, who plays the infamous Russian advisor Rasputin. The series spoofs the self-proclaimed mystic as he attempted to treat Czar Nicholas II and his royal family. Joining Knoxville, who spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his experiences on the series, were his Jackass castmates and stunt performers in Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, and Wee Man.
History of the World: How Knoxville Ended Up in Series
"I read somewhere that this would be made, and Nick Kroll was involved. So I texted Nick immediately and started to beg," Knoxville recalled on joining the Hulu series. "Because I mean, my father and Mel Brooks [who created the original 1981 film], they're my comedy heroes. And I was just, 'Please, Nick, please keep me in mind.' And Nick's such a sweet man. And luckily, he and the writers cooked up something for us."
Knoxville didn't care what they had planned for him before taking on his role, "I got the script a little before, and I think it was fully fleshed out when I got it. I don't recall having any notes. I was really happy with what they sent me," he said, but broke down any creative input on stunts. "Lance Bangs directed it for us, and he's been working with us for years, so I'm sure there were discussions and maybe small, tiny, little adjustments. I think that it was all on the page, but you kind of tweak things a little on the day, when it's the physical stuff." For more, including if Knoxville felt similar in his scenes to filming Jackass, working with Danny DeVito, Brooks, and more, you can check out the interview here. Two new episodes of History of the World: Part II premiere every night through March 9th on Hulu.
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