Danny DeVito: 'You Gotta Tamp Me Down in the Joy Department!'

The actor, 80, talks about his iconic roles in 'Taxi' and 'Always Sunny,' his lifelong go-for-it mantra and the pleasures of being a granddad

As told to

Lisa Rosen,

AARP

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Published November 27, 2024

Video: Grandpa Danny DeVito is Bursting in the ‘Joy Department’

Danny DeVito, best known for his comedic roles, first made his mark in the 1975 drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. A few years after portraying the sweet combat pilot Martini, he landed the role of the irascible Louie De Palma in the series Taxi, which ran for five seasons, made DeVito an instant star and nabbed him an Emmy. He continued working in stage and film, branching into producing and directing. A few highlights include Throw Momma from The Train, The War of the Roses, Matilda, and Hoffa (in which his friend and frequent director Tim Burton, 66, played a corpse). Taxi is also where he met his wife, actress Rhea Perlman, 76. Their three children are all in the arts: Gracie is an artist, Lucy is an actress and Jake is a producer.

Even as he enters his ninth decade, he’s in top form, playing the lovable cad Frank Reynolds in the outrageously funny series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, soon to air its 17th season, and starring in A Sudden Case of Christmas, in theaters and streaming now. DeVito recently spoke to AARP for the December/January issue of AARP The Magazine.

Noisemaker

I was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I was the baby, my sister Theresa was 10 years older, my sister Angie was 16 years older, my mom had two sisters, and none of them shut up, ever. It’s an Italian family, so the decibel level is out there.

A little smart aleck

I went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, because if your mother and father didn’t know what to do with you, they gave you to the nuns.

… and still a smart aleck

I remember when Peter, my nephew, was born. I was 7 years old, and I went over and looked into the bassinet, and the first thing he did was pee on me. It was great! I don’t think there’s a conversation I’ve had with the guy over all these years where I don’t bring up the fact that he peed on me.

Also an old softie

Do anything you can to keep on an even keel with your family and friends, no matter what happens in your life. That’s all we have. Don’t hide things. You’ve got to get up every day thinking about how you’re going to make it easier for the people that you’re working with or that you love or that you eat breakfast with. Because it’s infectious; everybody starts feeling good.

Falling into the business

Growing up, I’d spend the weekends at the movies, but I actually wasn’t even thinking about doing it. I got introduced to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in a roundabout way, took a couple classes, and I got the bug. And I thought, I’m not like Cary Grant, but I got a feel for this thing. So I studied, and then I went and started looking for jobs in New York, like every other actor does. I didn’t care what the description was — “male, 6 foot 4, 250 pounds” — I’d go out for the audition. Once I got in the room, I’m going to do what I’m going to do.

Becoming Louie

I wanted that part, Louie De Palma [in Taxi]. I walked into the room to audition in front of the four guys who created it, and I said, “One thing I want to know before we start. Who wrote this shit?” And I threw the script on the table. And I had a nanosecond of, did I screw everything up? Then they fell on the floor. Louie walked into their lives.

Jeff Lipsky

Sudden fame

I went to the market the day after the first episode aired, and people are stopping me on the street: “Hey, Louie!” They weren’t calling me Danny. After a couple of days of this, I called my publicist, and said, “This is really crazy. People are chasing me down the street.” He says, “Danny, you don’t have to worry until that stops happening.” Now it’s all, “Frank, Frank, Frank!” because of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is good. The fans are all you have.

Still evolving

I think I’m bolder than I’ve ever been — I don’t monitor myself as much. I do say things that are, like, pretty far out, that are really weird, and sometimes I’m inappropriate. But I am always respectful, and that’s because of my two sisters, I swear to God. You have to respect other people’s space.

My happy place

Since my two grandbabies have been born, I am just incorrigible. You gotta tamp me down in the joy department, you know what I’m saying? I’m just so lucky. Blessings have been showered down on me. I wish that for everybody. And the thing is to be aware of it. Don’t let it go. Rhea [Perlman, DeVito’s wife, from whom he is separated but with whom he still spends a lot of time] and I were always able to see those little, incremental changes when our kids were growing up. And I tell my kids that, with their babies: Don’t miss a thing, don’t look away.

A sudden case of holidays

I’m in the movie A Sudden Case of Christmas with my daughter Lucy, who plays my daughter. It’s just a real warm, wonderful movie, and I loved doing it. As far as the actual holidays go, we have family dinners. Basically we’re Italian, so you know, anybody who’s around, we grab. We get to celebrate all the holidays, because Rhea’s parents were Jewish, so we did all the Jewish holidays, and we do all the Catholic holidays or Italian holidays.

My mantra

It’s always a good thing to be positive about life, and always get out of bed thinking today’s the day you’re really going to kick its ass. That’s the way to do it.

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