We got a chance to interview producers Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine about the film.ย
Evel Knievel is one of the most recognizable names in stunt and sport history. The filmย Being Evel,ย which documents his life in great detail, premiered in Los Angeles and was followed byย cocktails and canapรฉs at Saint Felix. From the film, director Daniel Junge, Producers Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, and Matt Hoffman, in additionย to George Hamilton, Kelly Knievel, and Seth Enslow attended the screening. Other notable attendees includedย Jackass’s Jasonย Acuรฑa and Chris Pontius, John Hawkes, MGMTโs Benjaminย Goldwasser, Sam Trammell, Nick Kroll, Dave England, Alanaย Stewart, Ashley Hamilton, George Hamilton Jr, Weston and Danielleย Cage, Kash Hovey, Kali Cook, Soccer player Denzel Slager, Hockeyย player Taylor Toffoli, Mike White, Marc Webb, musician Matyย Noyes, Damien Fahey and Grasie Mercedes.
The Knockturnalย got a chance to interview Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville, check it out below:
What inspired you to get involved with this project?
Jeff Tremaine: Evel probably had everything to do with me being here actually. I got into BMX because of Evel Knievel and that got me into everything Iโm into now.
Was there a moment when you realized as a kid that you were a huge fan?
Tremaine: Yea I was five or six years old, but I donโt remember how old. I had this little yellow bike and Evel had just jumped and we all watched it on TV and then I got on my little bike, and the neighborhood kids had put a plywood on a roadblock and I just went after and at the last second I got a little scared and turned to the side and ate complete shit, got up and like, that was awesome. From then on I was just building jumps and going for it.
What do you hope viewersย get out of the film?
Tremaine: Heโs one of the most complicated larger than life characters that you get both sides of it. He is the greatest that ever did it, but he was also a son of a bitch, but thatโs what it takes to be this guy. It was great for me to see all this, especially with all the footage Daniel kept uncovering and the interviews he was getting with the people that were there. I think he did an awesome job. Weโre very proud of this.
Can you tell us how has Evel Knieval inspired your career?
Johnny Knoxville: Iโm here promoting Being Evel, a documentary we did on Evel Knieval, he was a huge inspiration to me growing up. You know, no one ever did that type of thing before Evel Knieval and no has done it like that since. People whoโs gone farther and pushed the sport that way but he invented the sport, invented a whole new way of thinking. No one is the storyteller, or the showman, he was just all things in one. He was complicated too, not all the things were good, but so many were.
What made you want to create the film and be a part of the film?
Knoxville: Weโre making a film about someone I really cared about growing up. You really pull back the curtain and you see some things you didnโt want to see, and thatโs tough to reconcile, your adult self with your kid self that idolized him, but we want to give people the complete story, and we did. He lived an unbelievable life so heโs great fodder for a documentary.
What was the most inspiring thing you learned about Evel Knievel when making this film?
Knoxville: Thereโs so many inspiring things about Evel. Just what a showman he was and how intelligent the man was, what a hustler he was. Iโve said it before, but you can make a whole documentary on him just before he was 20. He did not start jumping until he was 25.
What is the most daring thing that made you think I may have gone too far?
Knoxville: I donโt know, when weโre doing stunts you kind of want to push it to that place and probably going to do it again.
[slideshow]The film is now playing!
