History of the World Part II 's Johnny Knoxville on why his gassy Rasputin is a dream come true

In History of the World Part II, Johnny Knoxville goes from Jackass to Jackrasp.

The actor, writer, and stunt performer plays the (flatulent) Russian mystic and holy man Rasputin in the Hulu sketch comedy series. At first, we're introduced to him as the man with whom all the Romanov women are infatuated, who is sought out for his questionable medical advice in treating the youngest royal, Alexei.

The real Rasputin was famously very hard to kill and survived a number of different assassination attempts. And, as a nod to this, in one of the premiere's most hilarious moments, we're treated to Jackrasp, a spoof in which Knoxville's character must survive different attempts on his life committed by fellow Jackass stunt performers Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, and, of course, a barely clothed Wee Man in a ushanka hat.

EW caught up with Knoxville to learn how he got involved in the sequel series, how it compared to an actual Jackass shoot, and why the experience led to one of the biggest highlights of his career.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you get involved in History of the World Part II? Did you go to them or did they come to you?

JOHNNY KNOXVILLE: I read somewhere that this would be made and Nick Kroll was involved. So I texted Nick immediately and started to beg. 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.

There are tons and tons of roles on this show, given the format. Did you have any say in which one you'd be tackling?

No, 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.

Aaron Epstein/Hulu Johnny Knoxville on 'History of the World Part II'

Since Jackass is your thing, did you guys have specific input into the stunts aspect of it all?

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.

Did it feel like you were shooting another Jackass, in a way?

No, it didn't feel like Jackass at all because there wasn't an ambulance there. Nor did I think we might could leave in an ambulance. [Laughs] We knew that this was filmmaking, and there's a difference. We had a ball. We had an absolute ball. It's great to get the guys together and do something else, you know. I think they did a really wonderful job — Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, and Wee Man.

Was there one moment in particular in making History of the World Part II that sticks out as being particularly funny to you?

I mean, first of all, I got to do a scene with Danny DeVito. He is unbelievable. He's hilarious while we're filming, and as soon as they say cut, he's just as hilarious. Just a wonderful person. But they had a little screening the other night of the first two episodes, which Mel Brooks showed up at. I almost had a heart attack. I got dizzy and I didn't even know what to do. He got a standing ovation, of course, but I may have been the first one to jump up. I almost pulled my back out. But [at the screening] we're watching one of the bits and they did a call back of "Hitler on Ice" [a sketch at the end of the original film] with Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, and Ike Barinholtz as commentators. And when they got the scores, Hitler got zeros all across the board, except for the French judge who gave him a 10, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Did you get to meet Mel at the screening?

I did not, but I got to call him one night. And I just… I mean, poor guy. He barely got a word in edgewise. But he's so kind to get on the phone with me. And I told him how much he meant to me. And in the excitement, I was like, "Oh my god, I would love to grab dinner with you or something." He's like, "Settle down." [Laughs]

Was talking to Mel a stipulation for you to do the show?

No, I made no stipulations. But I did ask. I'm like, "Can I just call him?" And they're like, sure. It's one of the biggest highlights of my career. Like a man who I started out watching, who my father got me interested in comedy through. And now I got to be on a phone call with him. It's like, I can just retire.

If there's a History of the World Part III, would you be down, and who would you want to play or what historical moment would you want to spoof?

Oh, man, if they make another one, I'm gonna just text Nick right now and start begging. It worked last time. So what historical event? Oh, my goodness. Well, there's Fighting Jack Churchill from World War II who is a great historical figure. He went into battle with a broadsword and a longbow, but I don't know how funny that is.

I mean, write it down. Send it to Nick. Don't forget.

Yeah, he'll help me punch it up. Yeah... it's a dream come true, being in a Mel Brooks production.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

The first four episode of History of the World Part II are now streaming on Hulu. Two new episodes will drop daily, with the finale on Thursday, March 9.

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