Who would have thought we’d be talking about Jean-Claude Van Damme so much in 2014? In November, he rocketed back into the American conscience with a hysterical viral ad for Volvo in which he does a split between two trucks going in reverse (with Enya on the soundtrack). It’s been viewed more than 68 million times, and is also probably why he got a shout-out from Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes.
Now he’s back with his first full-fledged feature comedy, “Welcome to the Jungle,” in theaters and on demand Feb. 7. In the movie, whose ensemble cast includes Adam Brody, Kristen Schaal and Rob Huebel, Van Damme stars as a slightly crazy former Marine who leads a group of office employees on a work retreat that leaves them stranded in the jungle. The Post caught up with the hulking Belgian action star via e-mail to talk comedy, splits and Chuck Norris.
Post: Why are you just now trying out straight comedy?
Van Damme: I have always enjoyed comedy, [and] there have been elements of comedy in several of my past films. I guess the fact that I participated in something that was primarily a comedy was based on how much I liked the script and the fact that my character was a parody of an action guy. However, are you sure it was a comedy because my agent never told me that?
Were the other actors afraid of you on set?
Only when I was there.
There’s a lot of funny people in this movie, from Rob Huebel to Kristen Schaal. Did you ever break character because of their improv?
There were a lot of laughs on the set. It is normal to occasionally start laughing during a take.
You take on an angry wild tiger in the movie. Did you guys become friends?
We do dinner in Brentwood once in a while.
If you had to choose a way to die in the jungle, how would you go?
Old age — there are some really nice jungle bungalows on the market these days.
Whom would you want to be stranded in the jungle with?
I have been asked this before, but I still don’t understand who wants to strand me. Is this some type of conspiracy?
Did you ever expect that your Volvo ad would become such a huge Internet sensation?
The ad was a lot of fun and really cool to participate in.
How do you stay so flexible?
I stretch a lot, I always have.
Were you nervous to do it?
Appropriate safety precautions were taken, and we were very careful.
Has the ad opened up new career opportunities for you?
Only time will tell.
What did you think of Chuck Norris’ response parody?
I was impressed — I never thought Chuck could do a split between planes.
Do you have Enya on your iPod?
Of course.