As the famous joke goes, man visits doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, “Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.” Man says, “Sounds great, will do.” But then, when he goes to the show, Pagliacci instead gives a two-hour lecture on the importance of morality in comedy and it fucking sucks.
If that isn’t enough, here are five other goofballs who really wanted to be taken seriously…
Johnny Knoxville
When somebody could legitimately be crowned “the king of the nut shot,” it sends a decidedly unserious vibe. For years, Johnny Knoxville was best known as the ringleader of traumatic physical comedy troupe Jackass. There might not be, outside of sports, a single person on Earth that more people have seen injure themselves publicly than Knoxville. It’s a role he doesn’t seem to have much a problem with, having been a stalwart member throughout, but it wasn’t always his intention.
Before Jackass, and before the videos for Big Brother that kicked off the show itself, Knoxville moved to L.A. to become an actor. He was pretty serious about it too, not just showing up with a smile and an overpacked suitcase, but attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Maybe they’ll invite him back someday to teach a seminar on how to portray a full range of emotion while drinking bull semen. Though maybe not the serious roles he’d hoped for, it did end up working out for him, as Jackass gave him the notoriety to eventually land acting roles on his own, like in Men in Black II.