Danny DeVito Played A Wild Prank On His It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crew

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Danny DeVito once came close to calling his lawyer after receiving a fake script for an episode that would have seen his character, Frank, get sent to jail — and let's just say bad things happen from there (seriously, it's grotesque and full of sexual assault). The actor was angered by what he read and refused to shoot the episode, but when he got to the last line of the script he discovered it was an April's Fool prank. Rather than let this slide, DeVito got revenge by staging an elaborate prank of his own.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, DeVito revealed that he convinced a hotel worker to put his colleagues in a small single room full of cots when they checked in prior to attending an event. Of course, the folks at FX had really arranged for them to have their own individual rooms, but the hotel employee was more than happy to accommodate DeVito's request.

"The guy did it and he played it to the hilt. They were all in the room, and I was in a closet with a bottle of tequila and glasses watching them react to the fact that this guy is telling them there's no room in this hotel and this is the room that FX booked for them and they all had to sleep together on cots. Rob [Mac] got on the phone. He was going to call the big shots, and then I came out of the closet. I had 'em good."

If these stories tell us anything, it's that the "It's Always Sunny" folks are willing to go the extra mile to get the one-up on each other. That said, it cannot be overstated how annoyed DeVito was after receiving the fake script and believing it was real.

Some of the best "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" episodes make fun of hot-button issues that aren't comedic on paper. People who aren't familiar with the show would be forgiven for reading a plot synopsis and assuming the content was irredeemably offensive. However, while history has shown that the series is nuanced in its handling of the more controversial ideas, there aren't many lines it won't cross, which is why Danny DeVito assumed the fake script was legit.

The actor also wasn't joking when he said he wanted to get his lawyers involved, either. Glenn Howerton, who writes and stars in the series, told Reddit that DeVito outright refused to star in the episode when he was still under the illusion it was real. As Howerton recalled:

"[W]e sent him the script for April Fools Day and made it look all legit. And that was the first time he called us and was like, 'I can't do this guys.'"

So there you have it — even the stars of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" have lines they aren't willing to cross. Still, if someone is mischievous enough to play a dastardly prank on one of them, they'd best be prepared to accept some payback at a later date.