For Johnny Knoxville “Sweet Dreams,” about a group of alcoholics and drug addicts in a sober living facility, is pointedly personal.

Knoxville, 53, plays Morris, an alcoholic who grudgingly becomes the coach of the Sweet Dreams facility’s softball team.

“I identify a lot with Morris,” Knoxville said in a Zoom interview. “My father was an alcoholic. A lot of my friends are in recovery and there’s been many times in my life where I’ve been distracted or overindulged with one thing or another.

“I also have three kids, two daughters. So I really identify with Morris trying to get his life back and his daughter back.”

Like Morris, Knoxville’s hair really is gray and both wear glasses. While Lije Sarki scripted and directed, did Knoxville have input?

“The story was already shaped by a great script. But the character, that’s up to me with discussions with Lije. I was just trying to be emotionally honest and vulnerable and show the depths of his pain, going through something like that and be able to come out on the other side.”

This full-out dramatic performance vividly contrasts with his fun-loving guy image. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten way over-emotional. I was always pretty emotional, but you know, I’m a real Sensitive Sally in my older age.”

The set-up here is familiar: A guy is forced to go with a ragtag team and turn it into something that’s a personal victory and for the team as well. Is this a “Bad News Bears Goes Seriously Adult”?

“I don’t think that’s too far off,” he answered, “because ‘The Bad News Bears’ was very funny. It was also a very serious film in places. That’s why it still holds up today.

“Yeah, there’s some adult themes here, also a lot of laughs So ‘Bad News Bears’ is not too far off.”

As for his career-defining “Jackass” series, didn’t he say it was over because physically, he couldn’t really do any more? Yet he looks terrific running around that softball field.

“I meant that I just couldn’t put my body through that anymore. I couldn’t have any more concussions. There are some physical things that I deal with but in spite of everything, I’m in reasonably good shape, considering.

Could “Jackass” be really, really gone?  Was the 2022 entry the last?

“I don’t know. We’ve learned to ‘Never say never’ anymore. There’s no plans to do another ‘Jackass’ but I still write ideas for it and email them to myself. Just in case. I can’t help but do that.”

“Sweet Dreams is in theaters April 12 and on streaming platforms April 16