Danny DeVito Explains Why Things Are Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Courtesy of fxnetworks.com

Danny DeVito is one of the most famous TV actors of all time, who rose to fame as Louis DePalma on the sitcom Taxi back in the 1970s. Now he's found a new fan base on the cult-hit comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In a conference call interview DeVito talked about his co-stars Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson and how they treat him on the Sunny set. Danny DeVito Explains What Attracted Him to His It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Role DeVito recalled what first attracted him to Sunny, saying, "The fact that they wrote it so well, first of all. There wasn't a role of Frank six seasons ago. And then they said they would like me to come onto the show, and I said if it's organic to the piece - and this was. I was the dad of Sweet Dee and Dennis. And if it was a character that I'd feel like I could really let my hair down, no pun intended, and allow myself to explore other avenues that were as raunchy or as ribald as I've done in the past, but with an FX kind of sensibility." DeVito described why he thinks the show sometimes is able to push the boundaries of inappropriateness while still being endearing. "We try to stay as close to the nerve as possible, but I got a feeling it's where it's coming from, might be one of the things. It might be that the way… Dennis and Dee and Mac, Charlie and Frank operate in their daily lives, that takes a little bit of the onus off it. So you can get objective. You get behind it." He also explained what drives his character, saying, "They've infected me with this pulsing desire to get into mischief. They started it out… I was going, 'Wait a minute. Whoa. What's going on here?' - although I did ask for it. I said I wanted to live in squalor and filth and I wanted to do everything the gang does and I want to be part of the gang and everything." Danny DeVito Talks About the Joy of Working on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia As a result, the joy the actor is experiencing on set, is also what drives his character. He revealed, "I just started having so much fun. It's like you get up in the morning and the character gets out of bed going, 'Wow. I got to get dressed right away, get down there, and see what the nut nuts are doing, so I can get involved.' Because we know they're going to come up with something." He credits his castmates, who also produce the show, for helping him fit in. He commented, "They delivered on every front. And not only that, they became my good buddies. And now we're sailing along having a great time." Danny DeVito Is Like the Dad on the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Set DeVito seems to be enjoying his role as elder statesman on the set. He acknowledged, "Basically, Dennis and Dee are definitely like my kids, and so is Rob and so are Mac and Charlie… They're in their early 30s and I'm in my mid-60s. How it works is, I know more than they do. They have to listen to me. They do everything I say and they wait on me. And then everything else is the same, nothing different." He gave some specific examples of how the younger cast members look after the established star. "We act together, but if I need something they go get it for me. They take me to my car. They make sure I get home. Take care of the dad. They take me out to dinner. They don't clean my dressing room, but we have a person to do that. But they would because they're my kids and kids have to take care of their parents." Danny DeVito Thinks It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Will Last a Couple More Years DeVito also enjoys being in the presence of a new generation of talent. He admitted, "It's fun being with young people. I don't think it's a bad thing for everybody who's in that generation, the baby boomers or whatever I am, to open themselves up to young folks because I believe, not to sound cliché and like I'm winning a beauty contest, but I believe our future lies with the young people." DeVito believes his dynamic showrunners will be able to keep the series fresh for many years to come. He remarked, "The thing about Rob and Glenn and Charlie and Kaitlin and the writers that we have, they're all very energetic about the show and they all love it. I have no doubt that we're going to get another couple of seasons of ridiculous hilarity." That will give them plenty of time to land a few of DeVito's dream guests. He noted, "Deep down inside all my friends that I have, whether they're people that I have worked with over the years, if they had time and if we had parts for them, they'd all jump in just for a guest spot. We've come close to Edward Norton and… it's just a matter of timing… Everybody, like all my buds and people who watch the show, they would all have the sensibility to jump down into the gutter with us."