FILM INTERVIEW: STEVE-O

Battling Homophobia, Tension & T-Ball On 'Jackass 3D'

By: Izumi Hasegawa

October 15, 2010

Buzzine finds Steve-O in a reflective mood as he describes what could possibly be a defining gesture of a 10-year battle with homophobia.   He offers tips on how to deal with on-set tensions, how to maintain close friendships, and explores the best methods of freeing the body of toxins.

Izumi Hasegawa: Did you shoot a lot of this in Agoura Hills?

Steve-O: Most of it was around here, yeah.

IH: Did you start vomiting before you even got the sweat cocktail into your mouth?

SO: That sounds about right. I've got a really powerful imagination.

IH: Did you get any of it down?

SO: I think it got there. Maybe, I don't know. It was so sick.

IH: Was that the worst stunt you've ever done?

SO: As far as the most disgusting, I'm sure that was up there, but there's been some pretty gross stuff.

IH: Jackass is always gay-friendly. Is sharing another man's sweat the next level?

SO: Gay-friendly -- I'm glad you say that. I feel like so much of the work we've done has been a deliberate attack on homophobia. We've been trying to rid the world of homophobia for ten years now. Is drinking another man's sweat a part of that? I don't know. I think that one in particular was just an opportunity to vomit on the most expensive camera on the planet.

IH: How many years has it been since you guys were all hanging out to do this?

SO: Never got too far apart, I don't think. We got together on some other projects along the way, but it was four years between each movie.

IH: The others were apprehensive about getting back together...?

SO: The word is tense. It's tense on the set because you can expect something horrible is going to happen to you. After it does, you're generally pretty happy that it did, but you're looking over your shoulder the whole time. I remember the tensity on the set just reached a fever pitch on the day I got my nose broken. I was going around with this magnifying glass and burning people. It was bad as sh*t, man. It's so funny -- it goes right through a tattoo and everything. Like prison rules. You've gotta prove that you're not to be f***ed with.

IH: When you have a stunt coming up, do you have to be sober?

SO: It depends if you're Preston Lacy or not. I think anybody who saw our 2.5 release knows that Preston likes to get a little buzzed before certain things. There were some times when I wasn't allowed to shoot, like the branding thing. There were times where I was up for something but I was intoxicated so I wasn't allowed. Nobody wants to see us really wasted, I don't think.

IH: Did you have to test and line up the tee-ball?

SO: I'm pretty sure I got that right away.

IH: What do you do to keep fit? Could it be you vomited out all the toxins from your system?

SO: No, I've really just been a much healthier guy in everything. Just a lot of cleaner living.

'Jackass 3D' is in theaters now