Jack Black Explains Why He Stormed Off The Set Of “Tropic Thunder” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

we have a bunch of things in common but. we have one thing in common I believe. which is we both were stupid enough to. get on a water buffalo is that true oh. my God yeah on Tropic Thunder with. Stillers film on Tropic Thunder uh and. and I I once for an animal segment and. I've told people this but I uh jumped. onto a water buffalo and it was without. thinking but they had animals there and. then they brought in a massive I mean. literally the size of this table that. we're at right now this podcast table. this m beast and someone who wasn't in a.

position of authority said hey Conan. this is a rehearsal get on it that could. be funny and I'm just a you know chimp. I'm a a yes and chimp so I went okay and. someone brought out an Apple box and I. jumped on the Apple box and no one had. and all I rememberers just before I did. it Andy said don't do. that I remembered Andy really clearly. going don't do that and at he said it. and I was like you know got to do it.

cuz an intern said try it so I get on. the on the Water Buffalo Water Buffalo. immediately throws me off I go up in the. air and I land on a poured you know. cameras have to roll in a TV studio so. it's a poured thick concrete that's. smooth it's very dense I bounce off my. hip and that that wasn't even the scary. part it hurt like a but the. the water buffalo took off not I felt. bad for the water Buffalo um right up.

until I killed it uh no well I had to. shoot it no uh it it it took off and. took a turn and looked at me and I ran. like a cartoon character runs like. literally I just disappeared and there. was smoke and some hair pins and then uh. and I was in and then I got a hematoma. on my hip that was so big I couldn't. take my pants off.

and I thought well I think I'm probably. the only person in comedy dumb enough to. get on a water buffalo and then I find. out Tropic Thunder yeah did you did you. end up doing it very similar. circumstance but I have to ask what I I. wasn't listening to the premise why was. there a water buffalo on the. set um animal segment we did them all. the time it's a talk show staple so they. bring in like here's a c here's are this.

here's are that and no one had ever. brought in a water buffalo and this is. just rehearsal this is rehearsal cameras. are not rolling no and so they brought. this thing in and they uh they they I. just was intrigued like well I've I've. been doing this for 28 years never seen. a water buffalo get on it I feel like I. feel like there is footage of this. someone was taping no no one are you. sure a camera there it's a camera. rehearsal C but you know what the.

problem is I think we've looked at the. footage and you can't really tell what's. happening you can just see the very. beginning as you're getting on it you. can see as I'm getting on it and then. because they weren't ready to shoot it. yet they weren't so they weren't on me. you can kind of see uh it's like if. Abraham's appr Pruder had been shooting. you know in Deal Plaza had been like. looking at a bird or something when. Kennedy went by and then you can kind of. see a little piece of limousine the fact. that there's footage of you just about. to get on makes me feel like the. cameraman maybe sent.

this could go bad I better not film this. just in case this goes sideways which. the Instinct should have been the. opposite this could go bad I'm going to. keep rolling on that you know what I. mean but it's I think it's a it's a. Humanity thing where the cameraman is. like I I have to look away from this and. I'm turning it off no one's going to see. that you know what I mean yeah I mean I. wouldn't mind if it existed because I. think I really bounced this was in the. era of America's funest Home Videos yeah. we could they could have put. a on it but before Tik Tok so you know. there's no money in keep it's like wait.

a second Conan's about to get on a water. buffalo and you turn it off so what was. your experience so I had a similar. experience we're we're on um this like a. Campfire Story we're in Hawaii we're. we're recreating southeast Asia we're. supposed to be in Vietnam out in the. middle of nowhere and the middle of. Hawaii you wouldn't know it's got a. jungly Vibes yeah it does yeah and uh. and so I'm on the back of this water. buffalo they assure me that it's safe. and they're you know you know they they.

got the animal trainers on these movie. you had an animal trainer there you have. to it's part of the the union rules and. uh we did and I I'm afraid of dogs I'm. afraid of animals because I'm it's it's. uh my natural fear of of the. unpredictability of the animal kingdom. you don't know what they're going to do. but I had been assured everything's cool. so I got on the back of it and I'm. supposed to come around the the bend on. this mountain path and I'm just in my. under PS and uh I think I'm strapped to.

the Buffalo because I'm like going. through a a a drug withdrawals at the. same time so I'm a sweaty mess and the. Buffalo I can tell is just a little bit. uncomfortable and and uh they say action. and we start moving and and I'm like. uhoh What's Happening Here maybe it. sensed my my fear but it was. uncomfortable and it just started. bucking bronco and I was like and it I. flew off of that thing and I went ass.

over tea kettle I think because there's. no footage of it just like you yeah but. I just we hadn't entered frame yet like. we were right behind the mountain we. were coming around and I flew and did a. little flippy Doo and landed. miraculously between two Boulders and. did not get injured at all I did not. have a hematoma I just sort of uh uh had. this uh miraculous uh uh safe landing. and uh.

Ben was I could hear him off in the. distance say what's going on are we. cutting Let's Take It Jack take it from. the top we didn't get any of it I like. no you take it from the top you get on. it Buffalo because I had so much. adrenaline inside me I thought I was I. saw my life flash before my eyes of and. I I stormed off to my trailer just. because I was like shaking and like not. in any mood to be in the movie anymore. and.

uh or or any movie any movie ever again. so uh my stunt man Jimmy waitman hero. that he is suited up and got on on the. back of the and they went. ahead with the rest of those shots from. that scene with my stunt man and also uh. Robert Downey Jr was like petting the. soothing the Beast and calming the Beast. and uh later on months later not months.

later like weeks later I don't remember. how long ago how long after that event. took place MH someone said Jack you know. what we found out that water buffalo was. pregnant it no one knew it had a baby. inside and that's why it was freaking. out cuz it was uncomfortable and I was. like me man there's got to be a way. they should know that before they put me. on the back of a gigantic power. beast and then and then a at the. Premiere someone was there that said you.

know what they Nam the baby named him. jack I was like that's the sweetest. thing it God made it worth it and I. never no we didn't we were almost killed. I would like to meet Jack I wonder if. Jack is a well I've got a surprise let's. bring him in open up that whole wall. what do you mean it doesn't. open I brought a Jack the water buffalo. 8,000. miles we got to fix it so this wall. opens and we can bring people what.

they're talking about God damn it I hate. this place.