Danny DeVito is, without a doubt, a national treasure that must be protected at all costs.
It doesn't matter when you grew up; there's something he's been in that's shaped your
childhood. But despite the joy he's brought to millions, there's a lot of tragedy in his
past.
Danny DeVito was just 19-years-old when he left his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey,
and headed to New York City to try to make it as an actor. We all know that DeVito did
make it. But up until then, life hadn't been so great.
Danny Devito's mother was 40 when he was born, and she was already the mother of two teenage
girls by the time he came along. According to Rolling Stone, she said of her youngest,
quote: "I didn't want him, but I'm so proud of him."
By the time he was a teenager, DeVito wanted out of the house. It wasn't just because heroin
was turning his neighborhood into a scary place, it was because alcoholism was turning
his home into an even more frightening one.
"My father had a drinking problem and was sick in that way...And my father was a sweet
man during the day. But as soon as he had a drink, he went off the deep end. I felt
vulnerable."
When Danny DeVito was just 14, he convinced his parents to send him away to a Catholic
boarding school, because of concerns that are very heavy for a young teenager. He told
The Guardian that while his family was far from well-off, there were plenty of others
in the neighborhood who were even poorer, and he was seeing them go down the road that
led to drugs and addiction.
That, coupled with his father's alcohol abuse, he told Rolling Stone, was why he opted to
get out of town and away from all the dangers while he could.
"Seven years as an altar boy! Did you whack the stuff? Did you go in the back and get
the wine?"
"I never did."
"You never did that?!"
"That's what started me off."
At a glance, it's Danny DeVito's diminutive 4 foot 10 inch height that makes him stand
out in any role. He said to the Archive of American Television,
"Well, every character I've ever played has been my size. I think it's an asset. I think
it's kind of...what you make it, in the way you are, the way you feel."
At the same time, though, he went on to say there were restrictions, it was difficult
to be in films opposite tall actors and actresses...unless it's a film like Twins, where he played Arnold
Schwarzenegger's twin brother. And that's okay for a pretty sad reason, he said:
"Because that's the joke…The joke is that we're twins. He supposedly got all the good
genes, and I got the crappy ones. It turns out I got all the smart genes and he got the
stupid ones."
"Huh? Come again?"
"My name is Julius, and I am your twin brother."
Danny DeVito isn't just short: according to Yahoo! News, he has been diagnosed with Fairbank's
disease, or multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. It's a genetic condition that is characterized
by short stature, and can also lead to joint pain, arthritis, and misalignment of the hips,
ankles, and knees.
Danny DeVito has played a lot of despicable characters, but in real life, he's very in-tune
to the prejudice and abuse that others face, especially women. He told The Guardian that
he credited growing up with and being close to his two older sisters, who he describes
as "really tough broads", for giving him a comfortable respect for women.
"I am very friendly with women!...I feel comfortable around them. They were always in my house.
My sisters, their girlfriends. I felt like I could sit down and talk to a woman."
Danny DeVito's also said that he's had numerous conversations about the #MeToo movement, and
had this to say:
"What I come away with is four words: 'Women must be heard.'...We're all suffragettes.
We got to get women equal pay. We got to get 'em on the map. We got to respect 'em."
Danny DeVito's father passed away in 1984, and in 2012, Danny wrote a moving tribute
for Father's Day. He remembered that his dad had made the jump from owning a business to
working from home, becoming a bookie who took bets on horse racing. For DeVito, it was incredible:
"I loved it. I could see him whenever I wanted. If you have a father who wants to spend time
with you, which mine did, then you're really fortunate...I owe a great deal to my father
in terms of him always being there."
He credits his father for teaching him to always be prepared, no matter where he was
going. He talks about, quote, "that rush of being with your dad," of going to the movies
together, of going fishing. He said,
"I still miss him. There's that emptiness that you have to take with you. But that's
part of being human."
Sadly, DeVito also adds that his father never got to meet his grandchildren; he passed just
after he saw his son get married. They may not have had the easiest relationship, but
they clearly loved each other, and there's no expiration date on grief.
In 2012, one of Hollywood's great, long-lasting marriages came to an end: Rhea Perlman and
Danny DeVito were done. There was a ton of speculation about the cause and regardless
of what went on behind closed doors, a 2013 interview with The Guardian showed just how
broken up Danny was:
"Ah, Rhea and me? We're going OK, we're still good buddies. We talk all the time, we're
OK."
However, the interviewer then described DeVito as losing, quote, "a little of his pluck,"
and reaching out for a big, long hug.
As of 2019, the couple was still separated, though not divorced.
"Danny and I have always loved each other and we have three amazing children together,
and we really agree on almost everything important."
She went on to say to People,
"It was a hard transition...but everything smoothed out. Everybody's got a good relationship
with Danny, and with me and each other. That's all we care about."
And as for DeVito? He told People, quote, "We're friends. We're happy. Everybody's happy."
Relationships are complicated, even the ones that seem like they'll last forever.
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