A true icon of cinema, TV and everything in between, Danny DeVito is one of the most beloved men on the planet. A cornucopia of impressive roles and cultural touchpoints, DeVito remains an icon for many.
Thanks to his role in the ever-popular subversive comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, DeVito has gained a modern fanbase of baying supporters who cling to his every performance, supporting him in everything from Disney’s Dumbo to the action-comedy, Jumanji: The Next Level.
A dynamic oddball of comedy, DeVito’s journey to the height of cultural prominence has been an inspiring one, fighting against the challenges of Hollywood and casting prejudices to star in some of the biggest films of the modern era, working with such esteemed filmmakers as Tim Burton, Todd Solondz, Curtis Hanson and Miloš Forman.
Speaking about his time in the industry back in 1996, DeVito stated, “Hollywood is a jungle. It’s full of quicksand, vermin and flesh-eating beasts. Making a movie is not a walk in the park. Every movie is like navigating treacherous terrain”.
Despite this tough start in the industry, DeVito is now a beloved, hot property, with his opinion on the state of modern cinema highly regarded due to his frank, down to earth stance. In line with this, the actor spoke to GQ in 2019 to talk about his favourite moments from his beloved FX show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Asked if he had a specific scene or episode that was his favourite, the actor responded, “You know, the kind of radical, crazy stuff, where they slime me or they throw me out a window, paint me black, I was a shadow, like hiding in a corner. It was really cool”.
Exclaiming his excitement when he goes to the makeup trailer to get “puffed up”, DeVito makes reference to “Mac’s show”, presumably alluding to Season four, Episode five Mac and Charlie Die when he performs an acrobatic dance in front of a room full of prison inmates.
For Danny DeVito, any movie or TV show where he can sit in a makeup chair and emerge as a new character shortly afterwards, he loves, also referring to Batman Returns and his role as The Penguin, which required multiple layers of prosthetics. “It’s like when you put on a costume when you’re going to Halloween or anything like that, you have this freedom that’s really cool,” the actor reveals.
Though he doesn’t reference any specific episodes, DeVito does state that the episodes he loves are the ones that, “were a little bit out in the stratosphere,” holding fond memories of the scripts he reads and says, “Oh, this is gonna be a fun one to do”.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia became the American live-action comedy series with the most number of seasons in 2021, with the 15-season long show getting four more from FX in the near future.
