Steve-O has spent decades making viewers ask whether television executives ever owned a risk assessment form. Still, the Jackass stunt he says nobody in the group wanted to do was not the biggest explosion, the nastiest fall, or anything involving an angry animal. It was far smaller and, somehow, much easier to understand.
The stunt was known as “Paper Cuts.” Yes, the title is exactly as unpleasant as it sounds.
What was the Jackass stunt everyone rejected?
According to Steve-O, “Paper Cuts” was the rare idea that caused the entire Jackass crew to back away at first. The setup was brutally simple: cast members would give each other paper cuts on some of the most sensitive parts of the body, including the webbing between fingers and toes.
It eventually appeared in Jackass: The Movie, released in 2002, but not because anyone was eager to become the ambassador for office-supply pain. Steve-O has said nobody volunteered, so the group used a lottery-style pick to decide who would take part.
That may be why the story has lasted. The franchise built its reputation on people being launched, slammed, shocked, chased, and generally treated like cartoon characters with medical insurance. But the idea that a sheet of paper could stop the room is almost elegant in its awfulness.
