"RE-RELEASE: Charlie Day"
Charlie Day appears on the SmartLess podcast to discuss his long career, from creating It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to recent projects like his new rom-com 'I Want You Back' with Jenny Slate. The conversation covers his musical background, the origins of Always Sunny, and his friendship with Jason Bateman.
Summary
Charlie Day joins the SmartLess podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about his career and life. The hosts highlight Day's impressive background as a multi-instrumentalist who started violin at age three and can play piano, accordion, trombone, guitar, and harmonica, though Day reveals his parents both have doctorates in musicology from Columbia while he considers himself the 'idiot' of the family who walked away from music. The discussion covers the origins of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which Day created with Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton. Day explains how they shot the original episodes in his $600/month apartment on Western and Franklin, went through the typical Hollywood agency runaround, and eventually sold it to FX after making multiple versions. The show has now run for 15 seasons, making it the longest-running TV comedy by years. Day reflects on his early acting training at Merrimack College and the Williamstown Theater Festival, where he worked alongside future stars like Katherine Hahn and Sterling Brown. The conversation also touches on his new Amazon rom-com 'I Want You Back' with Jenny Slate, his collaborative relationship with McElhenney on both Always Sunny and Mythic Quest, and his passion for golf that Jason Bateman helped reignite during COVID. Day discusses the challenges of Hollywood meetings, his writing process (including allegedly rewriting Horrible Bosses 2 on a plane), and his preference for developing projects independently before pitching them. The hosts also explore Day's family life with actress wife Mary Elizabeth Ellis and their son, as well as his upcoming directorial project that he's been polishing for four years.
About this episode
Wrap yourself in cashmere and come sit by the fire with Mr. Charlie Day, who joins us this week to give career advice and acting tips. Jason learns about ‘voluntary additional school,’ Sean wails on the slide-whistle, and Will teases us with intimate details about his relationship with Forte. Welcome to SmartLess. This episode was originally released on 2/28/2022.
Key Insights
- Day argues that his parents' advanced degrees in musicology from Columbia made him feel like the 'idiot' of the family, leading him to pursue acting instead of music
- Day claims he and his Always Sunny co-creators bypassed traditional Hollywood development by shooting multiple episodes independently in his apartment before selling to FX
- Day contends that modern actors must create their own opportunities rather than waiting for agents and traditional pathways to provide them
- Day reveals he prefers to develop projects completely independently, writing scripts and attaching talent before pitching to avoid giving away creative control
- Day argues that the entertainment industry requires constant self-selling and reinvention, with actors getting 'fired and rehired' multiple times even in successful years
- Day explains that his experience at Williamstown Theater Festival taught him the importance of always being prepared to deliver because competition was fierce among talented actors
- Day admits he chose not to get in shape for his rom-com role because he believed audiences don't want to see him with 'rippling abs' as it wouldn't be funny
- Day describes how Hollywood agents operate on impossible schedules with constant unavailability due to meetings, lunches, holidays, and industry events
Topics
Transcript
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