VIA NY POST

It was a “Jackass” decision.

Although most famous for being the heavily-abused face of “Jackass,” Johnny Knoxville almost never appeared on the iconic reality show: While filming the pilot, the actor and stuntman was offered a role as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” which he thankfully rejected to continue his work on the MTV comedy series. Knoxville, 50, dropped the bombshell while promoting “Jackass Forever” on the “Drew Barrymore Show.”

“I was really honored that Lorne Michaels offered me five minutes on the show each week to do what I do, videos and whatnot,” the Tennessee native told Barrymore, 48, of the potentially career-making opportunity. “And I had to choose because, one thing, I was going on to an established show where I would have little control.”

The human crash test dummy explained that ultimately it came down to a choice between freedom and job security.

“At the end of the day it’s like, ‘Am I going to go into a situation where I have no control or am I going to bet on myself and bet on my friends, and go that direction?’” he explained.

Knoxville said he ultimately bet on the latter, which “could’ve been a disaster” but “luckily it worked out.” Although he quipped, “some would argue it was still a disaster.”

Boy are we glad he chose Jackass. The story goes he was offered a cast job on SNL just as they were filming the pilot for the first Jackass. Knoxville decided to bet on himself and make the pilot for the now one of the greatest cult film series of our time.

Quick story, when the first Jackass came out I was 11 years old, obviously way too young to go see the movie without parental supervision and unfortunately for me my dad didn’t want to sit through guys sucking their own farts and getting their balls tazed. My friends and I were allowed to go to the movies alone and we ended up buying tickets for Lilo and Stich and snuck into Jackass. It changed my life forever, not only did I sneak into my first movie which was a thrill in it’s own right, me and my friends obviously did some filming ourselves and stunts following the movie. (probably why we shouldn’t have seen it at such a young age)

This is lesson folks, bet on yourself and take the leap of faith to go out on your own and work for yourself. It’s scary and there is no job security or safety net for when you fail but it builds character and the best part you have full control of what you produce (and get all the money).

So cheers to Johnny Knoxville for taking that leap and betting on himself. Also, thanks for giving me the confidence to go in a shopping cart and slam it into a wall.

Rookie