Danny DeVito
The veteran actor on loyal ‘It’s Always Sunny’ fans and President Penguin
Who are your heroes?
On the political side, I’m very left, if you wanted to put a tag on it. I’m a humanitarian, and I like Bernie Sanders for what he’s talking about. I love Cornel West and Noam Chomsky. There are people trying to figure out how we can save our dying planet and make room for everybody in it and take care of everybody. They show me the way.
What advice would you give to the 20-year-old you?
Imagine that you’re a rubber ball going down a river. Every once in a while, you get stuck behind a rock and you have to wait it out until that river flows a little stronger, or a little less, and move away from that rock. Don’t fret when you find a little rock in the way, or a bump in the road. Continue on with your purpose, continue toward your goal, and everything is going to be good.
What movie of yours are you the most proud of, and why?
Matilda. Every kid in the world comes up to me and says hello because I’m Matilda’s dad, and it makes me feel good, and it made my kids feel good. And kids pass it on to their younger brothers and sisters. It means a lot to them to understand that they’re not alone — people care about them. It’s a very positive movie even though
Rhea [Perlman] and I play these uncaring parents.
When you played the Penguin in Batman Returns, he ran for political office. Do you see any parallels between his rise to power and Donald Trump’s?
Oswald Cobblepot is much more passionate and has a much bigger quest and has much more motivation than Mr. Rich Boy. Oswald is misunderstood; he’s a bird who cannot fly. [Trump’s] father gave him $400 million.
The guy was born with a silver spoon in his ass.
Do you think the Penguin would have made a better president than Trump?
Oh, God, Oswald would be so much better. He’d probably eat your kids, but he would be so much better.
You’ve been playing Frank Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for 13 years — a pretty unglamorous role. Are there ever moments when you’re, say, in your underwear and covered head-to-toe in hand sanitizer and you think, “I’m too old for this shit”?
No, no, no, no, no. I don’t ever think that. Honestly, I don’t think I’m too old for that shit. I feel like being an actor is like you get a chance to be a kid. Not many people get to keep playing when they get into their seventies, and I keep playing. So I look at it as a real plus.
What have you learned about relationships that you didn’t understand as a young person?
Embrace the people who are around you, and allow them to embrace you. That’s love, being around folks you care about and who you think about and you want to protect. It’s something that you have to make yourself available for. If you do that, it’s really a cool thing. I am very fortunate — all my life,
I’ve had really close, close people, and I care about them deeply, and I’m lucky that they give it back.
What are the best and worst parts of success?
Oh, there’s no bad parts; it’s all good. But the best part is getting up in the morning. I love just getting up and doing what I want to do.
You don’t get annoyed when strangers ask for selfies?
No, no, no. I dig that. Listen, 14 years Sunny has been on because of that. Do you know when you got to worry?
When?
When you’re walking down the street and nobody wants a selfie. So bring on the selfies, baby.
ANDY GREENE