Danny DeVito Toasts His TV Success

The 'Sunny' Star Lets Loose About the Limoncello Incident, His Crazy "Kids" and Ogling His Daughter

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September 6 -- Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Danny DeVito might not have seemed like the likeliest candidate to end up on a little cable TV series that originated with a $200 DIY pilot, but the sitcom and movie star fit seamlessly into the cast of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' last season.

With the third season premiere of the FX sitcom set for Sept. 13, DeVito, 62, dishes some cheeky talk to AOL TV's Kimberly Potts about his younger castmates, his ornery dad character, the Limoncello brand that was sparked by his infamous appearance on 'The View' last year and the crossovers between his real-life family and his tube cohorts.

How did you become involved with 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'?
Well, I have this very good friend named John Landgraf [FX network president]. And after the first season of the show, he called and said that they were gonna go another season, and they wanted to pitch me an idea to add a character to the show. [The writer/stars] were funny, and they had this idea which I really responded to, which was Frank Reynolds as the dad who buys part of the bar. And who's kind of insinuating himself into their lives, which is kind of what I'm doing in a way, with the show. I am having a great time, and I'm insinuating myself into the lives of these people who are half my age and very energetic and fun and very, very talented. Even though it's farmer's hours, because you have to get up at crack of dawn to go there. I feel like I shouldn't get up until 10, but one has to do it, and it's a lot of fun. I mean serious, crazy fun.

A reviewer called the show 'Seinfeld' on crack. Do you think that's a good comparison?
Yeah, because there's every single subject that you could imagine, or they can imagine, in the episodes. They write about it from their angle. Always trying to get over on somebody, and trying to get somewhere in the fastest way, with the least amount of work. And they always wind up paying for it dearly. It's kind of like the way Lucy and Ethel would be with their scheming for Lucy to get into Ricky's show. But it's with the sensibilities of these guys, a younger sensibility. They've sped it up and turned it on its edge. So the comedy is never really what you expect, [like] 'Seinfeld.'

Have you already filmed the whole third season?
We have all 15 shows shot. We did some stuff in Philly, and we did a lot of stuff in LA, you know in the stages and stuff.

We were left with a bit of a cliffhanger in the season two finale. Do you jump back in right away with that revelation that Frank is Charlie's dad?
Haha! Yeah, I think we're going to get right back into that. There are going to be some interesting turns of events. I think there's a hysterical season coming.

Do you improvise much? I think some of the others have said they do a bit, and it really feels like you're all playing off each other a lot of the time.
We have. I guess you would, you could, call it improv. Or forgetting your lines and coming up with whatever saves your a--.



Will we see any of the guest stars from last season returning this year? Will Stephen Collins return, or Anne Archer as the former Mrs. Frank?
Well, we shall see ...

I'm going to take that as a yes.
You see, she's a really good actress, Anne Archer. She is terrific. But she's playing this character who's trying to take all [of Frank's] money. A bee-yotch. So I'm not going to tell you anything, but you know, there's a lot going on there.

Were you and the rest of the cast happy that FX moved the show to the fall, a friendlier time slot for college students and a lot of the show's other younger fans?
It's definitely the right way to go. And I love the way FX does things, showing the episodes more than once a week. That's really cool.

Is there any chance that we might see your wife, Rhea Perlman, guest starring on the show?
Well, maybe next year, but we'll see how it goes. If we go another season, we'll probably see if we can rope her in. Last year, my daughter Lucy was on the show. She was a waitress in the episode where Frank went on a date with his ex-girlfriend. It was kind of creepy, like Frank ogled her a little bit, but listen, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia!'

Tell me about your Limoncello line. Has it launched?
Oh yeah! Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello. It's made in Sorrento. And it's gorgeous. The lemons are just special, and they've been making it for many, many, many years. I've been drinking it for many years, and I'm really excited about it. We even designed the bottles. But the taste is really what it's all about.

And it's out just in time to have a drink to celebrate the new season of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.'
Oh yes, and these characters have already had a taste.

And what was their verdict?
They really enjoyed it. We had a wrap party, and I had some brought in. It's really fantastic. And you can drink it many different ways. I make a martini with it, I drink it ice cold right after dinner, or you can put it in hot tea.

Sounds yummy. One more thing. You and Rhea celebrated your 25th anniversary this year. That's no small feat in Hollywood.
Twenty-five years we've been married, but we've been together much longer. We waited for a long time, you know, like 11 years. And then we decided, I guess after I was on 'Taxi' and we started making some bucks, that we both loved kids and so we decided to start a family and got married. Kids teach you so much. That's why, back to 'Sunny,' these people here on the show are like my extended family. They are very talented and energetic, and they keep you moving. It's a real fun thing, and I kind of look at them and it's like I've added to my three [kids], and I look and go, 'Look at all the kids I have!'

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