Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty
Rachel Wolfsoncould always picture herself as one of theJackassguys.
Wolfson is the first female cast member, a breakout newbie inJackass Forever, but she says she assimilated pretty seamlessly into the band of bruised daredevils.
“Honestly, doing standup and having that as my background and also playing sports, I’ve always been kind of ‘one of the guys.’ I have a lot of guy friends and I just know how to interact with guys. It kind of prepared me for this,” Wolfson tells PEOPLE.
“I didn’t feel like they necessarily looked at me any differently because I’m a woman,” she adds. “There were definitely certain stunts they didn’t have me do or wouldn’t involve me with because they knew I would get hurt, and that’s not comedy. I’m completely fine with that because I’m always coming from a comedic place.”
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Wolfson impressively holds her own with even the most seasoned ofJackasscostars, keeping quiet during a challenge that involved — don’t try this at home, of course — licking a live taser.
“My DMs are lit and filled with all kinds of really nice messages,” she says of fan response to the film, whichdebuted No. 1 at the box office on its opening weekend. “There’s people who wish that they had seen more of me in the movie, but they have to remember that I’m sharing the screen with 13 other people and seven of them are OGs. So for me, I always love the idea of leave them wanting more.”
Wolfson’s entry point into theJackasssquad came after starJohnny Knoxvillebecame a fan of her humor on Instagram. A few DMs, phone calls and meetings later and she was in front of the camera.
What makes Wolfson such a natural at pulling off the irreverent stunts?
“I think the adrenaline,” she says, adding, “I’m the kind of person where if something scares me, it’s all the more reason I should do it because I think growth really happens in those moments of fear. For me, I just knew that this was something I needed to do.”
“Everything that’s happened in my life really prepared me to be on the set ofJackass,” says Wolfson, “and I really put my trust in them and really just hoped for the best.”
Wolfson’s accomplished-lawyer parents weren’t immediately on board with her joining theJackasscast, though she never asked for their permission, she recalls.
“My parents are really proud, which is hilarious to me because I come from a very strict family,” she says with a laugh. “I remember when I made the phone call to my mom … she was concerned initially, but I told her no matter how they felt about it, I was going to do it.”
“I took them to the premiere,” adds Wolfson, “and watching them watchJackasswas one of my most favorite moments of my life. My dad didn’t look away at all and he was so cute. He was like, ‘It kept my attention the whole time.’ And for my dad to say that, it’s pretty huge.”
Jackass Foreveris now playing in theaters.
source: people.com
