F
ortyyearsaftermakinghis
sitcom debut as devious
dispatcherLouieDePalma
onTa xi, DannyDeVitostill
lovesthesmall-screenlife.
“It’slike I LoveLucy,” he
ravesof hislong-runningFXXhitIt ’sAlwa ys
Sunnyin Philadelphia.“YouknowhowLucy
andEthelwouldalwaysdigabigholeand
get intoit,andyou’dwatchthemgetout?I’m
havinga goodtimedoingthat.”
That’salwaysbeenthecaseforDanny,
whoturns 75 inNovember.“I learnfrom
everythingI do,”saysDanny,whofound
big-timestardomonthe1978–’83Emmy-
winningcomedy.
What’sthegreatestlessonhe’sgleaned?
“MakingTVandmoviesisacollective, a
collaborativeart,”he toldCloserat the TCA
SummerPressTour.“It’sthispotpourri of
peoplewhoreallywantthebestfor whatever
they’redoing—it’slikemakinga really great
cathedralwithall thebricksyou put in.”
He’salsoapassionateadvocate for edu-
cation.“Youhavetobe awareof what’s go-
ingonintheworld,”he says.“Andit’s always
wiseto divein a littlebitmore.Don’t
justreadtheheadline.Beinquisi-
tiveandreadtheentirearticle.Try
togetto thebottomof stuff.”
GETSHORTY
Thegrandson ofItalian immi-
grants,DannygrewupinAsbury
Park,N.J.,andovercamehisdiminutivestat-
ureto becomea majormoviestar(Twins,Get
Shorty) anddirector(ThrowMommaFrom
the Train,TheWar of theRoses) aswellas a
TVfave.Andhe’snotfinishedyet.“I’mlook-
ingforwardto what’scomingup,”he says.
Asforhisbigbirthday,he plansto spendit
“withfriendsandfamily,”saysDanny,who’s
amicablyseparatedfromTaxico-starRhea
Perlman, his wife since 1982 and the mother
of their three kids. “Every time I have a birth-
day, I just have a really good time.”
That’s in keeping with his philosophy of
“kindness and gentleness and embracing the
things that are really good to you,” Danny says.
“The best thing you can do is to keep that pos-
itive vibe going!” — Bruce Fretts, with reporting
by Amanda Champagne-Meadows
ASTHESTARAPPROACHES
A MILESTONEBIRTHDAY,
HELOOKSBACKOVERHIS
ALWAYSSUNNYLIFE
LIFE LESSONS
Danny
(above), with
his Taxi co-stars
and with It’s
Always Sunny’s
Kaitlin Olson.
WHAT I’VE
LEARNED
AT
DANNY DEVITO
74
52 August 26, 2019 CLOSER
