Zach Holmes Details His Terrifying Experience Filming The Silence Of The Lambs Bit For Jackass Forever
One of the more rewarding aspects of "Jackass Forever" was the opportunity to see a whole new generation of jackasses be physically and psychologically broken. This cast of newcomers included Jasper Dolphin, Rachel Wolfson, Zach Holmes, and others, not to mention a bevy of guest appearances.
It was also clear that the "Jackass" crew had not lost their flair for creative ways to destroy each other. One of the more elaborate pranks in "Jackass Forever" is "Silence of the Lambs," named due to its direct homage to the chilling night vision scene in Buffalo Bill's basement.
Briefly described, this was a stunt in which Holmes, Sean "Poopies" McInerney, and other unsuspecting cast members were lured into a room under the pretense that they were going to watch Johnny Knoxville pull a stunt with a rattlesnake. Instead, they were locked inside with the lights off while other members tormented them with noises, grabs, and the lie that the rattlesnake was loose in the room.
In a recent appearance on "Steve-O's Wild Ride" podcast, Holmes recounted the whole experience of surviving the stunt. When asked how it was for him, he simply responded, "That was f***ing terrifying."
Panic attack
During his appearance on "Steve-O's Wild Ride," Zach Holmes was quick to point out that initially there was in fact a real, live rattlesnake in the room with them, though it had been surreptitiously removed before the lights went out. The victims of this prank were never in any real danger, though the belief that they could be was clearly enough to cause them severe panic.
"Before this all, too, they were telling us what would happen if you got bitten by a rattlesnake," said Holmes, "and my anxiety is going through the roof, just because... like, medical stuff is like the one thing that'll make me have a f***ing panic attack." Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine also told Holmes that he risked having a heart attack if he wasn't administered the anti-venom medication in time.
After the lights went out and he was trapped in the room, Holmes felt something bite him. It was actually Knoxville pinching him with what looked to be a toy snake, but it felt close enough to a snake bite that when he heard Knoxville "break character" and yell that Holmes had been bitten, he believed it.
Even after being pushed into another room, Holmes thought the only way to get out was by going over a table that was covered in thumbtacks and mousetraps. "I just climbed over ... and yeah, just cut myself up," he said.
That's certainly better than getting bit by an actual rattlesnake. But then, that didn't actually happen. The only thing that was real in that room was the abject terror of Zach Holmes.