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Fiast chat c3 $-}*xx nx e3' E i# %, E a E :'-t" I' ;, "? o e plays cheerfully rich reprobdte Frank Reynolds on the anti:'Friends" bar comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (FX, Thursdays). But, really, it's always Danny in Hollywood. Talk about your multi-hy- phenotes. As an actor, Danny DeVito,62, wcrtt from pluying that dcvil- of- a-dispatcher Louie De Polma in the legendary ensem- ble cost of "Taxi" (ABC / NBC 1978-83) - alongside the likes of ludd Hirsch, Andy Kaufman, I'ony Danza, Christophcr Lloyd and MariIu Henner * to storring in big-screen hits likc 'Ruthless People," "Tin Men" and "Twins." He became a feature director with "Throw Momrna Fromthe Train" (1987), "The War of the Roses" (1989) and other movies, and ad.ded producer to his resume with lersey Films and Jersey T elev Ls ion (" I\tlp Fiction," "Erin Brockovich," the "Reno: 911!" franchise). M arrie d to quodruple- Emmy u,inner Rhea Perlman (TV's "Cheers"), DeVito, relaxing at tl'Le FX ffices inManhattan recently, pulled together two conference chairs to form a makeshift chaise lounge and speak with frequenr Newsdcry Why am I doing a televjsion comedy? I was gonna say . . , I havc so much fun being around lco-stars Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson, and series-cre- ator co-star Rob McElhen- ney). Y'know, they're fresh and inventive, and they go with stuff. There's a thing that happens with writers where people get an idea, and they explore it for a minute, and then they may toss it aside. These guys gei an idea, and then they go with it and go with it until they find something in there that's scathing. It's very similar to the way "I Love Lucy" was... . Wait. You're comparing "lt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" to "l Love Lucy"? It's similar in that the charac- ters are always trying to get over on someone. Lucy al- ways had a scheme. This is like they're always trying to do some giant task that seems so unattainable, like figuring out how to beat welfare or pretending to be a cripple. Y'know. what I am is a really like, likc Frank Rcy- nolds - I'm having a ball! Every once in a lvhile some- thing comes alon€i tliat's a gift, and you have to recog- nize it and cmbrace it. How did the producers of this famously low-budget show - I've read the pilot was shot on a home cam- corder for under g2OO - come to say, "Let's get Danny DeVito to star with our four unknowns!" Talent- ed unknowns, let me say, but unknowns. John Landgrai who's nou, the head of F,/X, the big cheese over rherc, hc recog- nized the show as being a one-of-a-kind, unique shclrv that a demographic of cer- tain-age people would really relish. He and I had '*orked together at Jersey felevision [when DeVito and parrners had hired Landgraf as presi- dent in 19991. When "It's Always Sunny in Philadel- phia" was just beginning, he said to me, "Danny, you and Rhea and the kids might really enjoy this." Long story short, we did love it, and less than a year later, he said thcy wanted to add a character and would I bt: interested? I said if thcy could come up with some- thing that's nor just racked r;n. And thcy clmc up il.ith Frank Reynolds. They brought me in in a \4'ay that fits into ury life .rt this momcnt. And thc changeup Icels grcat. It's like if 1'ou're alwrys rle:rling with the stuJios lnd tryiltg to gcr these big-budget movics nratle -"well, luaybc not so big-budgct but semi-big-bud- get - and you're ahvays trying to finagle that avenue, get somebody to gr0enlighr 1,our movic, then sonrcthing like this, it's simple, it's fun, they pay me vcry rvcll, and you're staying on top of thc new things. So I hear you've just come out with your own brand of limoncello. Ycah, after drinking one too many before I did "The v tew." I wasn't going to mention your showing up there.. . Tipsy. Tipsy. { 7 : { d 5 o 3 z € o
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