Steve-O reveals eye-opening amount he was paid for entire first season of Jackass

Steve-O has detailed the surprising amount he was paid for the entire first season of Jackass, which was certainly the breakout role for the actor.

Prior to Jackass, which has since had five movies and a reality TV series, Steve-O was an amateur stuntman, struggling financially and facing homelessness.

Steve-O, born Stephen Glover, was performing as a clown in nightclubs, cruise ships and at a flea-market circus prior to filming Jackass, which really made his career change path.

While the 52-year-old made a name for himself with Jackass, it didn't provide him immediate fortune.

Revealing he was paid per bit rather than per episode, Steve-O told Playboy his pay was 'comical'.

"After five days of filming, I was all banged up, hungover, had been bitten by a shark, and I pulled out a piece of paper to write down what I felt really needed to be on the show," he said.

Steve-O described the pay as 'comical' (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images for ABA)

"At the top I wrote ‘Goldfish,' and I thought, while I'm at it, I might as well put what I expect to be paid. Next to ‘Goldfish,' I literally wrote $200.”

After being bitten by a shark and gaining a 'little scar' for his troubles, Steve-O was paid $500.

He continued: "When it was all said and done, after taxes, I was paid less than $1,500 for the entire first season of Jackass.

"Before the show came out, my sister kicked me out of the house. I was broke, unemployed, and homeless, and a star on this big MTV show.”

“That's one of the first things I learned about fame: It comes a lot easier than fortune."

In the interview with PlayBoy, Steve-O opened up on life before Jackass and being in the public eye.

He had one incident where he burned his face while attempting a fire-breathing backflip, before enrolling in Ringling Bros. Clown College.

Steve-O lived a very different life prior to his Jackass breakthrough (JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)

Discussing his background, Steve-O said: "The only reason I even thought to go to Clown College was to further my goal of becoming a crazy-famous stuntman.

"I had been homeless for three years, got zero f****** traction, and I thought, all right, if I can graduate from Ringling Bros. Clown College, then I'm a trained circus professional. People take me more seriously as a stuntman.

"The only guy going to Clown College to seek legitimacy."

“The fact that I was a clown endeared me to the f****** people who started Jackass,” Steve-O added.